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England tour of India (2021)

England will find it difficult as the spin bowling options are very poor. India will spin them out of the game prettt quickly and probably dominate every test.
 
Pant should be playing on batting merit alone. Does not matter whether Saha plays or not. Based on how he has played in Australia there is no reason why he should not be successful in Indian pitches. It will be sheer madness to not play Pant and Gill after what they have accomplished. At the least they deserve a run not just only because they played well in Australia but purely backed by their first class records.

Rohit
Pujara
Gill
Kohli
Rahane
Pant
Ashwin
Sundar/Kuldeep/Axar
Ishant
Bumrah
Siraj
 
Saurav said:
What has Rahul done to deserve a spot,that too no. 3?
Click to expand...

Rahul is a top order batsman and can only bat in top 3. Its not always someone has done something to deserve something, cricket is also about experimentation and trying things. There is no better place & time to experiment than in a home series.

Rahul is a terrific test batsman who is in his peak years now. He was our best batsman when Australia toured India back in 2017. But after that India mostly played overseas and he was rightfully dropped due to his struggles there. But he deserves another chance at home as he is an avg 50 test batsman whom we are just wasting in bench.

Though Pujara has done very well in last 2 Australia tour but time has come to look for alternatives. I dont think we need to have both Pujara & Rahane in the side batting at home. In overseas, only 2 out of Pujara, Rahane and Vihari should play.

I mean everyone knows that KL Rahul and Gill will open together in test cricket for long time but we are somehow delaying the inevitability. They tried same with Mayank Agarwal and I told before he will fail. Now there is a new drama going on with Project Rohit which has high potential to fail as badly as project Raina did in test cricket. After that they might try few more make shift openers. Then finally when reality becons, they will give back Rahul his rightful place. But until that happens we simply cant waste him in bench....so best thing is to make him bat at 3.

I am surprised that as an Indian cricket fan you are not able to see this inevitability. Its as clear as a portrait and even my 3rd eye can see - Gill & Rahul test openers (2022 - 2028) with both avg 50+.
 
Rajdeep said:
Rahul is a top order batsman and can only bat in top 3. Its not always someone has done something to deserve something, cricket is also about experimentation and trying things. There is no better place & time to experiment than in a home series.

Rahul is a terrific test batsman who is in his peak years now. He was our best batsman when Australia toured India back in 2017. But after that India mostly played overseas and he was rightfully dropped due to his struggles there. But he deserves another chance at home as he is an avg 50 test batsman whom we are just wasting in bench.

Though Pujara has done very well in last 2 Australia tour but time has come to look for alternatives. I dont think we need to have both Pujara & Rahane in the side batting at home. In overseas, only 2 out of Pujara, Rahane and Vihari should play.

I mean everyone knows that KL Rahul and Gill will open together in test cricket for long time but we are somehow delaying the inevitability. They tried same with Mayank Agarwal and I told before he will fail. Now there is a new drama going on with Project Rohit which has high potential to fail as badly as project Raina did in test cricket. After that they might try few more make shift openers. Then finally when reality becons, they will give back Rahul his rightful place. But until that happens we simply cant waste him in bench....so best thing is to make him bat at 3.

I am surprised that as an Indian cricket fan you are not able to see this inevitability. Its as clear as a portrait and even my 3rd eye can see - Gill & Rahul test openers (2022 - 2028) with both avg 50+.
Click to expand...

Mayank has done pretty decent regardless of his recent struggles and lose shots. Mayank still should be ahead of Rahul when it comes to Test cricket. Rahul did suffer due to Kohli's whymsical captaincy but now that he is playing well in LOIs , don't want to disrupt his rhythm particularly when England away series is there.
 
Jos Buttler will only be available for England's first Test against India before flying home

England's decision to provide rest periods for key players in their busiest year has been thrown open to question as it emerges Jos Buttler will miss three Tests against India.

Even though England named a 16-man squad for the first two of the four-Test series it was revealed Buttler will only play in the opening game in Chennai next month before heading home.

That provides Ben Foakes with an overdue chance to display his wicketkeeping skills in three Tests but, with Jonny Bairstow also rested for the first two, England are leaving themselves short of cover in a position where they are blessed with an abundance of riches.

Only the uncapped James Bracey, one of six reserves named on Thursday, will be on hand to back up Foakes with the gloves for the second Test in Chennai before Bairstow returns to the sub-continent along with Mark Wood and Sam Curran, also rested.

To be fair the selectors face an unenviable juggling act as they try to protect their best players during a year when they will play 17 Tests and contest a Twenty20 World Cup while dealing with the mental challenges of living in bio-secure bubbles for weeks on end.

And they would not have to come up with elaborate rest plans if England's best cricketers took a break during April and May's Indian Premier League. But the ECB seem to believe there is nothing they can do to stop contracted players cashing in on IPL riches.

Yet the timing of Bairstow's rest period in particular, immediately after he had returned to the Test team for the first time in a year with an important contribution to the first Test victory in Galle, does seem strange.

And it will be awkward for the selectors if, say, Bairstow makes a big century in the second Test after being asked to fill in the No 3 position in Sri Lanka and then jumps straight on a plane home while England head to Chennai.

'I spoke at length to Jonny and he completely understands and endorses this,' insisted national selector Ed Smith on Thursday. 'Whenever you rest there's a downside because every player wants to play for England.

'But it just felt the right time for Jonny to take his break now because he's a key part of the white-ball set-up as we build towards the T20 World Cup in the autumn.'

At least England welcome back Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and new father Rory Burns for the formidable task that awaits them in India while Ollie Pope will again travel and will be added to the squad once he has fully recovered from shoulder surgery.

But it is England's move to break up their red-ball visit to Sri Lanka and India this winter into three chunks of two Tests each that will cause debate, particularly if they struggle against an India side fresh from their historic series victory over Australia.

'The concept of a tour has to be modernised,' said Smith. 'We're not travelling by boat, we don't go away for five months at a time. We need to be more nimble and if we have to break a tour up so we can get people in and out for their own and England's good we will do it.

'This is an example of a policy we really believe in and we've had incredible support from the players. They know we are doing it for the right reasons because if you keep everyone in a bubble for three months and expect them to play every game in every format they won't be able to perform at their best.'

England, meanwhile, are considering hiring another charter flight for the 12 players and support staff who will this weekend travel from England to Chennai for a 10-day quarantine period ahead of joining up with those who will move on from Sri Lanka at the end of the second Test.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/c...-Englands-Test-against-India-flying-home.html
 
England side is:

Mister
Sibbers
Creepy
The New Sobers (c)
The New Botham
His Holiness
Beard
Dr Strangegloves (w)
Bess *
Archer *
Draco

* they have no puerile nicknames yet
 
Robert said:
England side is:

Mister
Sibbers
Creepy
The New Sobers (c)
The New Botham
His Holiness
Beard
Dr Strangegloves (w)
Bess *
Archer *
Draco

* they have no puerile nicknames yet
Click to expand...

I propose 'Bessie' for Bess. :rahi
 
Team that should play

Gill
Mayank
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Pant
Sundar
Akshar
Ashwin
Bumrah
Siraj

Team that Kohli will play(most likely)

Rohit
Gill
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Pant
Saha
Ashwin
Kuldeep
Ishant
Bumrah
 
Saurav said:
Team that should play

Gill
Mayank
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Pant
Sundar
Akshar
Ashwin
Bumrah
Siraj

Team that Kohli will play(most likely)

Rohit
Gill
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Pant
Saha
Ashwin
Kuldeep
Ishant
Bumrah
Click to expand...

Mayank have absolutely done nothing to deserve a spot in playing XI. Rohit is beast at home and will form a great partnership with Gill. We should also finish the Saha chapter for good as we know he is useless with bat and his keeping alone doesn’t merit selection. Pant will improve the more he spend time behind wickets.

Rohit
Gill
Pujara
Kohli
KL/Rahane
Pant
Ashwin
Axar/ H Pandya
Kuldeep
Bumrah
Ishant/Shami(if fit)

This playing XI bats all the way to no 9 and have 5 bowling options. Strongest playing XI we could assemble. If Jadeja was fit then it would’ve made the team unbeatable at home.
 
CanadianG00se said:
Mayank have absolutely done nothing to deserve a spot in playing XI. Rohit is beast at home and will form a great partnership with Gill. We should also finish the Saha chapter for good as we know he is useless with bat and his keeping alone doesn’t merit selection. Pant will improve the more he spend time behind wickets.

Rohit
Gill
Pujara
Kohli
KL/Rahane
Pant
Ashwin
Axar/ H Pandya
Kuldeep
Bumrah
Ishant/Shami(if fit)

This playing XI bats all the way to no 9 and have 5 bowling options. Strongest playing XI we could assemble. If Jadeja was fit then it would’ve made the team unbeatable at home.
Click to expand...

Mayank has a better average than Rohit at home.So there's that.Also younger and has better chance to improve overseas.Atleast has had one great series in Aus 2018

Sundar will play at 7 and takes Jaddu's position.

Need Axar to turn the ball away from RHBs

Shami isn't fit and Ishant is poor in India even in his new avatar.Siraj can reverse the ball and is in form.

Rahane is sureshot.KL is fighting for opener's slot and is behind Gill,Mayank,Rohit and Shaw


The team I chose has Ashwin at 9 and 5 bowlers

If Jadeja was there,we would have played Jaddu+Ash+3 pacers

Kohli will play Saha most likely.Pant is undroppable as of now but if he has couple of failures,talks of importance of specialist keepers will start again

Pandya doesn't deserve a place if hes not bowling significant overs.In any case if we need a seam AR,Thakur is there
 
Saurav said:
Mayank has a better average than Rohit at home.So there's that.Also younger and has better chance to improve overseas.Atleast has had one great series in Aus 2018

Sundar will play at 7 and takes Jaddu's position.

Need Axar to turn the ball away from RHBs

Shami isn't fit and Ishant is poor in India even in his new avatar.Siraj can reverse the ball and is in form.

Rahane is sureshot.KL is fighting for opener's slot and is behind Gill,Mayank,Rohit and Shaw


The team I chose has Ashwin at 9 and 5 bowlers

If Jadeja was there,we would have played Jaddu+Ash+3 pacers

Kohli will play Saha most likely.Pant is undroppable as of now but if he has couple of failures,talks of importance of specialist keepers will start again

Pandya doesn't deserve a place if hes not bowling significant overs.In any case if we need a seam AR,Thakur is there
Click to expand...

Mayank’s time will come but for now Rohit is most likely opener alongside Gill. I personally would somehow fit KL into playing XI, should there be a need for a backup keeper but you’re right he won’t make into playing XI as a lower order batsman.

Kohli is already facing huge backlash on social media for ‘Chickening out’ in the middle of the series. Pant is in favour of the month and dropping him will basically mean unleashing wrath of fans and media which I doubt Kohli would want to do.
As much as I hate Kohli’s captaincy, I don’t think even he is that dumb to drop Pant right now after Aus series.

Axar is very similar to Jaddu, keeping things tight and also handy with the bat. I would play either him or Kuldeep alongside Ash. We will need an allrounder in playing XI instead of 3 seamers.

Ash
Allrounder
Axar/Kuldeep
Bumrah
Siraj
We don’t really need 3 pacers at home. Hardik Pandya will add that 3rd seam option( if he can bowl at least 10 overs/day) plus a very good lower order bat. We don’t really need Pandya to bowl more overs as spinners will be bowling bulk of the overs. Jaddu’s absence have somewhat disturb team balance.
 
CanadianG00se said:
Mayank’s time will come but for now Rohit is most likely opener alongside Gill. I personally would somehow fit KL into playing XI, should there be a need for a backup keeper but you’re right he won’t make into playing XI as a lower order batsman.

Kohli is already facing huge backlash on social media for ‘Chickening out’ in the middle of the series. Pant is in favour of the month and dropping him will basically mean unleashing wrath of fans and media which I doubt Kohli would want to do.
As much as I hate Kohli’s captaincy, I don’t think even he is that dumb to drop Pant right now after Aus series.

Axar is very similar to Jaddu, keeping things tight and also handy with the bat. I would play either him or Kuldeep alongside Ash. We will need an allrounder in playing XI instead of 3 seamers.

Ash
Allrounder
Axar/Kuldeep
Bumrah
Siraj
We don’t really need 3 pacers at home. Hardik Pandya will add that 3rd seam option( if he can bowl at least 10 overs/day) plus a very good lower order bat. We don’t really need Pandya to bowl more overs as spinners will be bowling bulk of the overs. Jaddu’s absence have somewhat disturb team balance.
Click to expand...

Rohit will also do well here but I'm already looking ahead to Eng tour.Mayank has been bad but atleast he doesn't play outrageous shots and than justify it saying its his role.


I doubt KL has the fitness to keep in Tests.Is getting injured all the time anyway


Pant won't be dropped for now.But I'll be surprised if he has a fair run as a keeper once he has 2-3 bad games.Outside chance that he'll play as a specialist bat here and Saha will keep

Sundar is that allrounder we need.Play both Axar and Sundar to make up for Jaddu.Call me biased but I've been mighty impressed by Sundar's batting and even considering for ODIs,gives another left hand option.

We won't need 3 quicks yes.As of now Pandya doesn't look fit to bowl which is why he was asked to return before Test series.Pandya has to make it as a top 6 bat first.
 
The India vs England second Test at the MA Chidambaram stadium will see return of fans as state cricket body and the BCCI have decided to allow 50 per cent spectators in the stands
 
All PCR tests from yesterday’s tests have returned negative results. The England party are now out of quarantine and will train for the first time as a full group at the stadium tomorrow afternoon 2pm-5pm (IST).
 
CanadianG00se said:
Mayank’s time will come but for now Rohit is most likely opener alongside Gill. I personally would somehow fit KL into playing XI, should there be a need for a backup keeper but you’re right he won’t make into playing XI as a lower order batsman.

Kohli is already facing huge backlash on social media for ‘Chickening out’ in the middle of the series. Pant is in favour of the month and dropping him will basically mean unleashing wrath of fans and media which I doubt Kohli would want to do.
As much as I hate Kohli’s captaincy, I don’t think even he is that dumb to drop Pant right now after Aus series.

Axar is very similar to Jaddu, keeping things tight and also handy with the bat. I would play either him or Kuldeep alongside Ash. We will need an allrounder in playing XI instead of 3 seamers.

Ash
Allrounder
Axar/Kuldeep
Bumrah
Siraj
We don’t really need 3 pacers at home. Hardik Pandya will add that 3rd seam option( if he can bowl at least 10 overs/day) plus a very good lower order bat. We don’t really need Pandya to bowl more overs as spinners will be bowling bulk of the overs. Jaddu’s absence have somewhat disturb team balance.
Click to expand...
I dont think Kohli or Indian Team management really care about what keyboard-warrior fans say on social media. Remember, Jadeja copped way worse abuse in his initial years from fans and still they kept him in the team. I can see they playing Saha ahead of Pant as his keeping against spinners is not that great and we need to win these tests against England to have a place in the Test championship final. And Saha bats fine in India.
 
BCCI has approved to allow 50% crowd for the 2nd Test at Chennai.

Spectators will be allowed for the 3rd & 4th test at Motera.
 
Dingolfy said:
I dont think Kohli or Indian Team management really care about what keyboard-warrior fans say on social media. Remember, Jadeja copped way worse abuse in his initial years from fans and still they kept him in the team. I can see they playing Saha ahead of Pant as his keeping against spinners is not that great and we need to win these tests against England to have a place in the Test championship final. And Saha bats fine in India.
Click to expand...

You’re deluded if you think Saha will be selected in playing XI. Kohli and co may not care about social media or media pressure but they certainly will want to strengthen the batting, now that Jaddu have been ruled out. Saha is no better than number XI. I’m amazed as how does he keeps getting place in squad. He should be disposed of ASAP
 
Saurav said:
Rohit will also do well here but I'm already looking ahead to Eng tour.Mayank has been bad but atleast he doesn't play outrageous shots and than justify it saying its his role.


I doubt KL has the fitness to keep in Tests.Is getting injured all the time anyway


Pant won't be dropped for now.But I'll be surprised if he has a fair run as a keeper once he has 2-3 bad games.Outside chance that he'll play as a specialist bat here and Saha will keep

Sundar is that allrounder we need.Play both Axar and Sundar to make up for Jaddu.Call me biased but I've been mighty impressed by Sundar's batting and even considering for ODIs,gives another left hand option.

We won't need 3 quicks yes.As of now Pandya doesn't look fit to bowl which is why he was asked to return before Test series.Pandya has to make it as a top 6 bat first.
Click to expand...

I don’t think we will have 3 spinners in playing XI. I was reading on cricinfo that pitch curator have suggested that there will be some bounce on a pitch and will have turn on day 4/5. It won’t be typical ‘Indian’ pitch which could mean we will definitely need 3 seamers. Unfortunately, our seamers are classic tailenders and will struggle to buy a run. To fix that problem, we sure will need to bat deep or else one bad session could really undo all the hard work.

Ash
Axar/W Sundar / K Yadav
Bumrah
Ishant
Siraj

If K Yadav is selected then we will have 4/5 tailenders who can’t bat. Even Ash have regressed a lot lately in his batting and may not be same Ash of 2016 with the bat.

I just hope Jaddu is fit for last two test matches, as it will be played in his hometown and he wouldn’t want to miss playing in new stadium.
His inclusion will boost both batting and bowling strength.
 
Ollie Pope is all set to make his return in the first Test match against India at Chepauk.
 
Most Test wins by India at a Venue

14 - MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
13 - Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
13 - Eden Gardens, Kolkata
11 - Wankhede stadium, Mumbai
 
Most Test Centuries in Chennai

5 - Sachin Tendulkar
3 - Sunil Gavaskar
2 - Allan Border
2 - Kapil Dev
2 - Virender Sehwag
2 - Andrew Strauss
2 - G Viswanath
2 - Duleep Mendis
 
Most 100s during IND vs ENG Test matches

7 - Sachin Tendulkar
7 - Rahul Dravid
7 - Alastair Cook
6 - Azharuddin
6 - Kevin Pietersen
5 - Ian Botham
5 - Graham Gooch
5 - Virat Kohli
5 - C Pujara
5 - Vengsarkar
 
Big boost for England with Pope coming back in.
 
Surrey batsman Ollie Pope has been added to the England Test squad for the tour of India.

Pope has fully recovered from a left shoulder injury sustained in August 2020 against Pakistan. The England medical team are satisfied that he is available for selection.

The 23-year-old has practised with the full squad over the past two days. England will have their final practice at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai tomorrow ahead of the first Test starting on Friday.
 
Official Statement - Zak Crawley

Following the results of last night’s scan, England top-order batsman Zak Crawley has been ruled out of the first two Tests of the India versus England series.

Scan results have confirmed that Crawley has jarred his right wrist, which has sprained the joint and led to local inflammation.

The Kent player sustained the injury during England’s practice in Chennai on Tuesday when he slipped on the marble floor leaving the dressing rooms onto the field of play.

The England medical team will continue to assess his progress over the next few weeks.
 
MenInG said:
Official Statement - Zak Crawley

Following the results of last night’s scan, England top-order batsman Zak Crawley has been ruled out of the first two Tests of the India versus England series.

Scan results have confirmed that Crawley has jarred his right wrist, which has sprained the joint and led to local inflammation.

The Kent player sustained the injury during England’s practice in Chennai on Tuesday when he slipped on the marble floor leaving the dressing rooms onto the field of play.

The England medical team will continue to assess his progress over the next few weeks.
Click to expand...

This is a big blow.

I guess Lawrence and Pope will both play now.
 
Virat Kohli to Press:

- Virat Kohli confirms Rishabh Pant will be the wicket-keeper batsman against England in first Test.

- We're looking forward to giving Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill a long rope as openers. We look
forward to good starts from them in all the Test matches we play."

- Kuldeep Yadav will be in the scheme of things in the home series against England.

- The Big Four talk is media created. We know impact players when we see them and Joe Root is one of
them. His wicket is one we'll prize. Big congratulations to him on playing 100 Tests."
 
After India’s series win in Australia, there will be more pressure on the hosts - JoeRoot.

:misbah
 
New Variant of SG Ball

The England Series at home will be played with the New Variant of SG Ball. The ball will now have a more pronounced seam. The cork used inside the ball will be harder and it will have a darker shade of red.

The ball is expected to bounce more and retain its hardness till the 60th over. The Seam is more pronounced now. The spinners wanted a seam which they can grip and thereby get more revolutions on the ball.
The last ball used to lose hardness, and seam flattened by the 10th over. The New Ball is expected to retain hardness till the 60th over and offer more bounce.

This will also help more seam movement,. The new variety is based on feedback from our Players.

Why the change?

For the past few years, the ball has been criticised by top Indian players like captain Virat Kolhi and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. They have complained about the ball getting scuffed up early and losing hardness within the first 10 overs. Following feedback from the players, SG made changes and gave the handmade ball a machine-like finish. SG has been the official supplier for first-class cricket in India since 1993. Over the years, they have taken players’ feedback and modified the ball.

What has been the specific complaint of the cricketers?

Ashwin was vocal about the change in nature of the SG ball. “When I started playing Test cricket, the SG ball used to be top notch, and you could bowl with it even after the 70th or 80th over. The seam used to be standing up strong and straight. But it is not the same anymore,” Ashwin had told the official broadcaster during the home series against West Indies in 2018. After talking to the players in 2019, SG had been fine-tuning the manufacturing process for 18 months.

What is the change?

The ball will now have, as players like to say, uthi hui (pronounced) seam. The cork used inside the ball will be harder and it will have a darker shade of red. The ball is expected to bounce more and retain its hardness till the 60th over. “An important change is the seam. It is more pronounced now. The spinners especially wanted a seam which they can grip and thereby get more revolutions on the ball,” Paras Anand, the marketing director of SG, said.

Does a pronounced seam change the ball’s behaviour?

It certainly does. West Indian legend Michael Holding is of the view that this changed ball will help both pacers and spinners. “Firstly, the higher seam gives the bowler a better grip with his fingers. And especially for the spinner, the better grip gives him ability to impart more spin on the ball. For both the quickie and spinner, when the ball with the pronounced seam hits the pitch, it will deviate more because the higher the seam, the more friction created by the ball on the surface. If you think about the ball hitting the pitch with no friction created, there would be no deviation. Like bowling on glass where you get no friction and the ball just skids off straight,” he says.

Is this change sudden?

Former India pacer Irfan Pathan noticed the evolution of the SG ball when India played South Africa at home in 2019. “I felt the seam was a little more prominent and the ball was much harder when I was doing commentary for the India vs South Africa series. I remember in the Pune game, the way the fast bowlers were bowling, it seemed like they were not bowling with an SG ball, but with a Kookaburra ball. The ball has become of better quality and lasts longer. I think because the seam is a lot more upright, you will see the fast bowlers getting a lot of help as well,” Pathan said.

https://indianexpress.com/article/e...rker-red-sanspareils-greenlands-ball-7174199/
 
King_Kohli said:
New Variant of SG Ball

The England Series at home will be played with the New Variant of SG Ball. The ball will now have a more pronounced seam. The cork used inside the ball will be harder and it will have a darker shade of red.

The ball is expected to bounce more and retain its hardness till the 60th over. The Seam is more pronounced now. The spinners wanted a seam which they can grip and thereby get more revolutions on the ball.
The last ball used to lose hardness, and seam flattened by the 10th over. The New Ball is expected to retain hardness till the 60th over and offer more bounce.

This will also help more seam movement,. The new variety is based on feedback from our Players.

Why the change?

For the past few years, the ball has been criticised by top Indian players like captain Virat Kolhi and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. They have complained about the ball getting scuffed up early and losing hardness within the first 10 overs. Following feedback from the players, SG made changes and gave the handmade ball a machine-like finish. SG has been the official supplier for first-class cricket in India since 1993. Over the years, they have taken players’ feedback and modified the ball.

What has been the specific complaint of the cricketers?

Ashwin was vocal about the change in nature of the SG ball. “When I started playing Test cricket, the SG ball used to be top notch, and you could bowl with it even after the 70th or 80th over. The seam used to be standing up strong and straight. But it is not the same anymore,” Ashwin had told the official broadcaster during the home series against West Indies in 2018. After talking to the players in 2019, SG had been fine-tuning the manufacturing process for 18 months.

What is the change?

The ball will now have, as players like to say, uthi hui (pronounced) seam. The cork used inside the ball will be harder and it will have a darker shade of red. The ball is expected to bounce more and retain its hardness till the 60th over. “An important change is the seam. It is more pronounced now. The spinners especially wanted a seam which they can grip and thereby get more revolutions on the ball,” Paras Anand, the marketing director of SG, said.

Does a pronounced seam change the ball’s behaviour?

It certainly does. West Indian legend Michael Holding is of the view that this changed ball will help both pacers and spinners. “Firstly, the higher seam gives the bowler a better grip with his fingers. And especially for the spinner, the better grip gives him ability to impart more spin on the ball. For both the quickie and spinner, when the ball with the pronounced seam hits the pitch, it will deviate more because the higher the seam, the more friction created by the ball on the surface. If you think about the ball hitting the pitch with no friction created, there would be no deviation. Like bowling on glass where you get no friction and the ball just skids off straight,” he says.

Is this change sudden?

Former India pacer Irfan Pathan noticed the evolution of the SG ball when India played South Africa at home in 2019. “I felt the seam was a little more prominent and the ball was much harder when I was doing commentary for the India vs South Africa series. I remember in the Pune game, the way the fast bowlers were bowling, it seemed like they were not bowling with an SG ball, but with a Kookaburra ball. The ball has become of better quality and lasts longer. I think because the seam is a lot more upright, you will see the fast bowlers getting a lot of help as well,” Pathan said.

https://indianexpress.com/article/e...rker-red-sanspareils-greenlands-ball-7174199/
Click to expand...

From what I understood from this article, the new variant of SG ball is more like a Duke's ball, if that's the case England will really enjoy it & they will end up wining at least 1 match.
 
ChTab said:
From what I understood from this article, the new variant of SG ball is more like a Duke's ball, if that's the case England will really enjoy it & they will end up wining at least 1 match.
Click to expand...

Our Kaptaan is big fan of Dukes ball. He warned SG that if they don't make harder ball with pronounced seam he will make bcci adopt dukes. SG promptly changed whole manufacturing process to meet that demand.

I too hated how soft SG was going in few overs lately.
 
We should definitely play Sundar ahead of Axar. I don't follow domestics much but unless I am missing something I am not sure why many Indian posters would like to see Axar in the XI.
 
Hyperion66 said:
We should definitely play Sundar ahead of Axar. I don't follow domestics much but unless I am missing something I am not sure why many Indian posters would like to see Axar in the XI.
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Bro, Axar is better spinner than Sundar and he is perfect bowler for tests on square turning pitches.
 
King_Kohli said:
Bro, Axar is better spinner than Sundar and he is perfect bowler for tests on square turning pitches.
Click to expand...

From what I have seen of Axar I can't agree, I am sorry. We have now reached a position in test cricket where we have the luxury to see the bigger picture and act upon it instead of solely focusing on short-term gains. I would much rather invest on a 21 year old spinner of immense future potential and much higher ceiling than a 27 year old who hasn't played single test match till date. Hell, I don't think we will even produce square turners for this series.
 
Hyperion66 said:
From what I have seen of Axar I can't agree, I am sorry. We have now reached a position in test cricket where we have the luxury to see the bigger picture and act upon it instead of solely focusing on short-term gains. I would much rather invest on a 21 year old spinner of immense future potential and much higher ceiling than a 27 year old who hasn't played single test match till date. Hell, I don't think we will even produce square turners for this series.
Click to expand...

lets see how Axar will perform on given chances.
 
1. Rohit Sharma
2. Subhman Gill
3. Chtesh Pujara
4. Virat Kohli (c)
5. Ajinkya Rahane
6. Risbah Pant (wk)
7. Washington Sundar
8. Ravi Ashwin
9. Kuldeep Yadav
10. Jaspit Bumrah
11. Mohammed Siraj
 
Hyperion66 said:
We should definitely play Sundar ahead of Axar. I don't follow domestics much but unless I am missing something I am not sure why many Indian posters would like to see Axar in the XI.
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Axar is must to give SLA option in absence of Jaddu

Has a decent FC record

I'd also play Sundar ahead of Kuldeep on current form
 
Hyperion66 said:
From what I have seen of Axar I can't agree, I am sorry. We have now reached a position in test cricket where we have the luxury to see the bigger picture and act upon it instead of solely focusing on short-term gains. I would much rather invest on a 21 year old spinner of immense future potential and much higher ceiling than a 27 year old who hasn't played single test match till date. Hell, I don't think we will even produce square turners for this series.
Click to expand...

Sundar wasn't even on radar for Tests.His debut happened due to spate of injuries
 
CanadianG00se said:
I don’t think we will have 3 spinners in playing XI. I was reading on cricinfo that pitch curator have suggested that there will be some bounce on a pitch and will have turn on day 4/5. It won’t be typical ‘Indian’ pitch which could mean we will definitely need 3 seamers. Unfortunately, our seamers are classic tailenders and will struggle to buy a run. To fix that problem, we sure will need to bat deep or else one bad session could really undo all the hard work.

Ash
Axar/W Sundar / K Yadav
Bumrah
Ishant
Siraj

If K Yadav is selected then we will have 4/5 tailenders who can’t bat. Even Ash have regressed a lot lately in his batting and may not be same Ash of 2016 with the bat.

I just hope Jaddu is fit for last two test matches, as it will be played in his hometown and he wouldn’t want to miss playing in new stadium.
His inclusion will boost both batting and bowling strength.
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Jaddu is out for whole series :(

If we play 3 seamers,Thakur has to be one of them
 
My England XI isn't an ideal one with strange tactics by them, but from the available players it will be :
Sibley
Burns
Root
Pope
Stokes
Buttler
Ali
Archer
Broad
Leach
Anderson

Ideally I would have Bairstow and Buttler opening, Crawler at 3 and everyone one else one step down
 
Saurav said:
Jaddu is out for whole series :(

If we play 3 seamers,Thakur has to be one of them
Click to expand...

As per Kohli’s interview, Ash and Kuldeep are sure starters, which would mean 3 seamers. We will have very long tail I’m afraid.

Ash
K Yadav
Bumrah
Ishant
Siraj
That’s a very long tail. I’m glad that Pant is going to play or else our batting would have been further depleted. I just hope Kohli and Co fire all cylinders and not leave it for the tail to rescue.
 
Root is generally at his best at no.4, for some reason no.3 doesn't suit him. But with Crawley and Bairstow not available, it is not a good sign for him as he will have to bat at 3.
 
CanadianG00se said:
As per Kohli’s interview, Ash and Kuldeep are sure starters, which would mean 3 seamers. We will have very long tail I’m afraid.

Ash
K Yadav
Bumrah
Ishant
Siraj
That’s a very long tail. I’m glad that Pant is going to play or else our batting would have been further depleted. I just hope Kohli and Co fire all cylinders and not leave it for the tail to rescue.
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Why three seamers? He has said the pitch is expected to be traditional flat Cheapauk wicket with assistance to spinners later. If he goes with Ash and Kul, I am sure he will pick one of Axar or Sundar at no.7.
 
Best chance for England to beat India is the first match , if they do that then the series will open up. If not then it will be a boring series with Rohit and pujara piling up runs.
 
Ab Fan said:
Why three seamers? He has said the pitch is expected to be traditional flat Cheapauk wicket with assistance to spinners later. If he goes with Ash and Kul, I am sure he will pick one of Axar or Sundar at no.7.
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On cricinfo it says pitch will have lot of bounce, so was assuming Virat will go with 3 seamers. But if pitch is traditional flat/spin, then yea we will go with 3 spinners with Bumrah and Ishant as seamers.
 
King_Kohli said:
New Variant of SG Ball

The England Series at home will be played with the New Variant of SG Ball. The ball will now have a more pronounced seam. The cork used inside the ball will be harder and it will have a darker shade of red.

The ball is expected to bounce more and retain its hardness till the 60th over. The Seam is more pronounced now. The spinners wanted a seam which they can grip and thereby get more revolutions on the ball.
The last ball used to lose hardness, and seam flattened by the 10th over. The New Ball is expected to retain hardness till the 60th over and offer more bounce.

This will also help more seam movement,. The new variety is based on feedback from our Players.

Why the change?

For the past few years, the ball has been criticised by top Indian players like captain Virat Kolhi and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. They have complained about the ball getting scuffed up early and losing hardness within the first 10 overs. Following feedback from the players, SG made changes and gave the handmade ball a machine-like finish. SG has been the official supplier for first-class cricket in India since 1993. Over the years, they have taken players’ feedback and modified the ball.

What has been the specific complaint of the cricketers?

Ashwin was vocal about the change in nature of the SG ball. “When I started playing Test cricket, the SG ball used to be top notch, and you could bowl with it even after the 70th or 80th over. The seam used to be standing up strong and straight. But it is not the same anymore,” Ashwin had told the official broadcaster during the home series against West Indies in 2018. After talking to the players in 2019, SG had been fine-tuning the manufacturing process for 18 months.

What is the change?

The ball will now have, as players like to say, uthi hui (pronounced) seam. The cork used inside the ball will be harder and it will have a darker shade of red. The ball is expected to bounce more and retain its hardness till the 60th over. “An important change is the seam. It is more pronounced now. The spinners especially wanted a seam which they can grip and thereby get more revolutions on the ball,” Paras Anand, the marketing director of SG, said.

Does a pronounced seam change the ball’s behaviour?

It certainly does. West Indian legend Michael Holding is of the view that this changed ball will help both pacers and spinners. “Firstly, the higher seam gives the bowler a better grip with his fingers. And especially for the spinner, the better grip gives him ability to impart more spin on the ball. For both the quickie and spinner, when the ball with the pronounced seam hits the pitch, it will deviate more because the higher the seam, the more friction created by the ball on the surface. If you think about the ball hitting the pitch with no friction created, there would be no deviation. Like bowling on glass where you get no friction and the ball just skids off straight,” he says.

Is this change sudden?

Former India pacer Irfan Pathan noticed the evolution of the SG ball when India played South Africa at home in 2019. “I felt the seam was a little more prominent and the ball was much harder when I was doing commentary for the India vs South Africa series. I remember in the Pune game, the way the fast bowlers were bowling, it seemed like they were not bowling with an SG ball, but with a Kookaburra ball. The ball has become of better quality and lasts longer. I think because the seam is a lot more upright, you will see the fast bowlers getting a lot of help as well,” Pathan said.

https://indianexpress.com/article/e...rker-red-sanspareils-greenlands-ball-7174199/
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That's great news.

With Test cricket returning to FTA TV in UK, I'll have to put this in the background on mute with PAK-SAF on my phone.

I think Dan Lawrence has earned a run, especially with Crawley out and no Bairstow. The composition of the two bowling attacks will be interesting, with India missing Jadeja, while England will need at least one of Archer or Wood especially if it'a a flat wicket.
 
Last edited:
Hyperion66 said:
We should definitely play Sundar ahead of Axar. I don't follow domestics much but unless I am missing something I am not sure why many Indian posters would like to see Axar in the XI.
Click to expand...

I rate Sunder quite high. I have been advocating for his batting potential for years(check his thread here), which I think has the potential of a world class batter. I know he took wickets at gabba, but he needs time to hone his bowling in long format. I'm sure he will acquire the skills needed of an Indian front line spinner.

Axar is a proven Ranji all-rounder. And his bowling has had a breakthrough last few seasons. He now has enough skills of flight, guile and change of pace.

We must trust the process.
 
England need 400 to make a match off it. India to win the series 2-1.
 
The England National Selectors have named a 16-player squad for the men’s International Twenty20 matches in India in March.
The touring party depart on Friday 26 February and will play five IT20s in Ahmedabad.

England Men’s IT20 Squad:

Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) (captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Tom Curran (Surrey), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), Reece Topley (Surrey), Mark Wood (Durham).

Reserves:

Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire).

The squad for the three One-Day Internationals that follow the IT20 series will be announced in due course.
Ends

England men’s IT20 fixtures in India (all matches are 1900 IST/1330 GMT starts):

Friday 26 February: Touring party departs from London to Ahmedabad
Friday 12 March: 1st IT20 India v England, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
Sunday 14 March: 2nd IT20 India v England, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
Tuesday 16 March: 3rd IT20 India v England, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
Thursday 18 March: 4th IT20 India v England, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
Saturday 20 March: 5th IT20 India v England, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
 
Archer injured and misses the 2nd Test.

I wonder if England will pick Anderson and Broad to play together again at last!

The other option is to rest Anderson so he stays fresh for the 3rd Test (pink ball / day-night), and to go with Broad & Woakes for the 2nd rubber.
 
James said:
Archer injured and misses the 2nd Test.

I wonder if England will pick Anderson and Broad to play together again at last!

The other option is to rest Anderson so he stays fresh for the 3rd Test (pink ball / day-night), and to go with Broad & Woakes for the 2nd rubber.
Click to expand...

Yes, Broad 100% will be playing.

However, don’t you think it’s a bit harsh Bess has been dropped? in he scored handy runs and bowled well in the first innings, am a fan of Mo but I don’t know if dropping Bess was the right thing to do, a bit of a ruthless move tbh
 
shaz619 said:
Yes, Broad 100% will be playing.

However, don’t you think it’s a bit harsh Bess has been dropped? in he scored handy runs and bowled well in the first innings, am a fan of Mo but I don’t know if dropping Bess was the right thing to do, a bit of a ruthless move tbh
Click to expand...

There seem to be a few doubts around the stamina, endurance and overall fitness of Bess. In his 2nd innings Chennai spell he bowled far too many full tosses and short balls, which pretty much all went for boundaries. Whereas Leach has had a similar workload this season and yet he was landing it much more consistently towards the end of that game. Bess might be brought back towards the end of the series, or he might be sent home to work on his fitness.

The step up from bowling in English county matches within mild cloudy conditions, to bowling overseas for England in Test cricket under baking hot sun in 35 degree temperatures, remains a massive leap in standards.
 
James said:
Archer injured and misses the 2nd Test.

I wonder if England will pick Anderson and Broad to play together again at last!

The other option is to rest Anderson so he stays fresh for the 3rd Test (pink ball / day-night), and to go with Broad & Woakes for the 2nd rubber.
Click to expand...

Thinking Stone will play for Woakes. Root will want a pace option.
 
James said:
There seem to be a few doubts around the stamina, endurance and overall fitness of Bess. In his 2nd innings Chennai spell he bowled far too many full tosses and short balls, which pretty much all went for boundaries. Whereas Leach has had a similar workload this season and yet he was landing it much more consistently towards the end of that game. Bess might be brought back towards the end of the series, or he might be sent home to work on his fitness.

The step up from bowling in English county matches within mild cloudy conditions, to bowling overseas for England in Test cricket under baking hot sun in 35 degree temperatures, remains a massive leap in standards.
Click to expand...

Leach was pretty expensive in the 1st innings as well though, both had a similar performance in the Test in itself although Bess contributed a bit more with the bat; having said that, I’ve not evaluated Bess’s performance in lanka, is he terrible in the 2nd innings each time? the question for us is, will Mo do an adequate job in comparison with no games behind him in recent time, but perhaps England are seeing something which we are not behind the scenes as well, I doubt anyone expected Bess to be dropped
 
shamaan said:
what you on about
Click to expand...

I think he means Eng can still win without Anderson just like their T20 side has been winning without the likes of Anderson for a long time. Whether this is a good comparison, is quite questionable.

I think they can as well since Kohli is back for India. :ashwin
 
With Archer and Anderson not playing, Broad and Woakes are pretty adequate replacements.
 
Kroll said:
I think he means Eng can still win without Anderson just like their T20 side has been winning without the likes of Anderson for a long time. Whether this is a good comparison, is quite questionable.

I think they can as well since Kohli is back for India. :ashwin
Click to expand...

What a comparison lol.
 
shamaan said:
I thought they may have gone with wood since archer is injuired and is a like for like replacement
Click to expand...

Yes, they should have considered possible injuries. But afik, Wood is rested for the first two Tests and could come in after that.
 
[MENTION=1842]James[/MENTION] Butler also dropped as part of our ‘rotation’ policy, not sure what to make of this. He is too good to leave out a key series, no disrespect for Foakes but Butler as we saw in the final innings of the 2nd Lanka Test can make quiet the impact with the bat
 
Suryakumar Yadav likely to get chance ahead of Sanju Samson in the England T20 series
 
India’s squad for last two Tests against England announced

The All-India Senior Selection Committee met on Wednesday to pick the squad for the last two Test matches to be played at Ahmedabad against England.

The team is as follows: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (Vice-captain), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj.

Umesh Yadav will join the team in Ahmedabad and after his fitness assessment will replace Shardul Thakur, who will be released for Vijay Hazare Trophy.
 
Shahbaz Nadeem and Shardul Thakur released.
Small blue diamond Umesh Yadav to join after a fitness assessment.
 
ECB release:

Sam Curran will rejoin the England squad via the charter flight carrying other members of the limited-overs line-up to India, on 26 February, it was announced today.

Originally it was planned the Surrey all-rounder would fly to Ahmedabad in time to be available for the fourth Test in the city, starting on 4 March.

However, in the midst of the ongoing pandemic, making secure arrangements for such a journey proved too great a logistical challenge.

For background:

There are currently no direct commercial flights between the UK and Ahmedabad so any journey would involve changing planes.

Options were explored to make any journey as seamless as possible but all involved a stopover en route from the UK to Ahmedabad, bringing with it the challenges of social distancing.

Sam would also have been making the journey solo and so had he had any queries, especially when in transit, again, social distancing issues may have arisen.

If Sam had taken a commercial flight then had he or anyone close to him on that flight tested positive for the virus on arrival in India, there was the possibility of him being placed in isolation before he had the opportunity to join up with the rest of the England squad.

On the basis of the above, and to give Sam the best chance of minimising his risk of exposure to the virus, it was decided to delay his return so that he could travel on the charter flight with the white ball squad members due to fly on 26 February.
 
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