How successful will India be under Virat Kohli's Captaincy?

[sensible-indian-fan]

No finger spinner does that well there. Barring Lyon of course (home). Rangana Herath says hi. Check his figures in Aus.

When you start defending someone series by series bud, surely there is something wrong. He might have bowled tight lines, and looked threatening in England and in MCG, but end of the day, his away stats cut a sorry figure and no one would present a series-by-series argument like how you are doing. End of the day, this is what he has done away from home and it is shambolic for your number 1 spinner to even do this. Ok, forget about the strike rate, look at his average!

Dhoni should take some blame for this, but I think Ashwin hardly gave him any confidence to set attacking fields abroad. That begs me to ask, then why pick Ashwin again and again? At least give him space to go back and sort stuff in Ranji and get his head straight, but no.

View attachment 52357

I am not defending.

In England - Avg 33
In Australia now - Avg 43

Lyon avg in the same 2 tests that Ashwin played - 40.28
Lyon avg in 3 tests this series - 29 (what was the difference - yes Adelaide)

Still sorry figures?

Is Lyon bad too? That too bowling at home with the help of good Aussie pacers who can maintain line and length. And this time our ability to play spin isn't that great so no issues there.

Every tour has this 1 place where you boost up your stats and if you miss that place, you get clobbered. Jaddu got it in Durban. He even got part of it in Lord's 5th day track where it spun.

Spinners mature. Herath is good in Aus. My mistake in not mentioning him. But spinners get better with age. Herath was a totally different guy when he was young.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Edit: Ashwin avg is 48 these 2 tests. Not 43.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Oh and one more thing.

In the last 2 tests, head to head: Ashwin bowled 1 innings less and took the same amount of wickets.

Lyon: 4 innings - 7 wickets
Ashwin: 3 innings - 7 wickets

Okay the last innings Lyon bowled only 12 overs which is sizable - around 50% of what he bowls in 1st innings.

All this doesn't mean Ashwin would have matched Lyon's performance in Adelaide but he might have done well and his stats would have been much better.

 

[EliteCynic]

Oh and one more thing.

In the last 2 tests, head to head: Ashwin bowled 1 innings less and took the same amount of wickets.

Lyon: 4 innings - 7 wickets
Ashwin: 3 innings - 7 wickets

Okay the last innings Lyon bowled only 12 overs which is sizable - around 50% of what he bowls in 1st innings.

All this doesn't mean Ashwin would have matched Lyon's performance in Adelaide but he might have done well and his stats would have been much better.

Dude. This is the same Aussie line up which fell like a pack of cards vs spinners against Ind and pak. Ok helpful tracks and blah, but still. And in Eng, he was out bowled by Moen Ali for Pete sakes.

Ok, let's wait and watch in Sydney. He is gonna get a decent wicket to bowl and can no longer hide behind , 'I didn't play in Durban or lords'. I wish him luck and want him to do well. Game on.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Dude. This is the same Aussie line up which fell like a pack of cards vs spinners against Ind and pak. Ok helpful tracks and blah, but still. And in Eng, he was out bowled by Moen Ali for Pete sakes.

Ok, let's wait and watch in Sydney. He is gonna get a decent wicket to bowl and can no longer hide behind , 'I didn't play in Durban or lords'. I wish him luck and want him to do well. Game on.

Doesn't country matter?

Okay. Let's go back and look at recent history. Swann, Monty got OWNED in last Ashes here and then Aus got OWNED in UAE.

Conditions matter.

Reg Moeen Ali - We also fell like a pack of cards to Woakes and Jordan in the last 2 tests. So much mentally shot that anyone could come and take wickets. Moeen Ali bowled well but if you look at the wickets, it was our ineptness more than anything.

Moeen Ali has the best figures for a spinner against India in a series. EVER.

Does that mean he is better than other spinners whom we faced? It was just that

1. He was good
2. We were hopelessly bad

How he good he was will be known when he plays against teams that are not mentally shot.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Dude. This is the same Aussie line up which fell like a pack of cards vs spinners against Ind and pak. Ok helpful tracks and blah, but still. And in Eng, he was out bowled by Moen Ali for Pete sakes.

Ok, let's wait and watch in Sydney. He is gonna get a decent wicket to bowl and can no longer hide behind , 'I didn't play in Durban or lords'. I wish him luck and want him to do well. Game on.

Actually we dunno.

See last time we faced Aus in Sydney, Ashwin picked no wickets in 1 innings and Lyon picked 1 wicket in 2 innings.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/infocus/engine/match/518951.html

It was Sydney that shot Ashwin's average from 40 to 64 last tour. He did better in Adelaide and Melbourne. In Perth, Vinayji played.

Last time Ashwin was genuinely bad in Australia. This time he is better but he needs to deliver results I agree. So let's see how he goes.

 

[Anfield]

India can't win under any captain without good bowlers. India need someone like Imran Khan who can groom these bowlers.. someone who would talk to them ball by ball what to do! Like he did with Wasim and Waqar.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

India can't win under any captain without good bowlers. India need someone like Imran Khan who can groom these bowlers.. someone who would talk to them ball by ball what to do! Like he did with Wasim and Waqar.

Yeah we need him but don't have him.

One question: How did Imran Khan learn everything?

 

[Anfield]

Yeah we need him but don't have him.

One question: How did Imran Khan learn everything?

When Imran Khan entered International arena.. he was a trundler and went for plenty. He was dropped from Paistan's team. Then later he went to Oxford to study and joined Oxford's cricket team. That's where he learned most of skills and became a proper fast bowler. He changed his action, run-up and everything to become a quality fast bowler. Then as his career progressed he kept learning. The thing about Imran Khan he is a character of very strong determination.

 

[Vulcan]

They will lose more home matches initially. Overseas they dont have bowling resources to win matches consistantly

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

When Imran Khan entered International arena.. he was a trundler and went for plenty. He was dropped from Paistan's team. Then later he went to Oxford to study and joined Oxford's cricket team. That's where he learned most of skills and became a proper fast bowler. He changed his action, run-up and everything to become a quality fast bowler. Then as his career progressed he kept learning. The thing about Imran Khan he is a character of very strong determination.

Wow. Just wow.

That man is something.

All learnt by himself.

Didn't Sarfraz reveal the secrets of reverse swing to him after keeping it to himself for long?

 

[Anfield]

Wow. Just wow.

That man is something.

All learnt by himself.

Didn't Sarfraz reveal the secrets of reverse swing to him after keeping it to himself for long?

Yes Sarfraz was the one who started the reverse swing and taught Imran Khan. But reverse swing wasn't the only weapon in Imran's armor. Imran khas was a very good new ball bowler as well. He developed a big inswinger at a very good pace. Also he would angle the ball and then take it away.

 

[EliteCynic]

Actually we dunno.

See last time we faced Aus in Sydney, Ashwin picked no wickets in 1 innings and Lyon picked 1 wicket in 2 innings.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/infocus/engine/match/518951.html

It was Sydney that shot Ashwin's average from 40 to 64 last tour. He did better in Adelaide and Melbourne. In Perth, Vinayji played.

Last time Ashwin was genuinely bad in Australia. This time he is better but he needs to deliver results I agree. So let's see how he goes.

Sorry for the late response SIF. So, I hear you and I take all your points, but somehow, having to defend Ashwin match by match, or series by series and 'would have beens' doesn't work for me. Next time, when the selectors sit and pick a team for abroad, his overall figures will only matter. I know he has done well at home. I give him one more chance in Sydney. Hope he crosses the line and gets a 4-fer at least in one innings. Always thought he was a better spinner than Lyon in helpful conditions. It is a catch 22 with Ashwin - You set attacking fields so that he can take wickets. He bowls 2 bad balls every over and pressure is released, thus forcing Dhoni to set defensive fields and there go his figures for a toss.

Hope Kohli realizes this and persists with an attacking field for Ashwin. Hope Ashwin realizes this and bowls tight lines like MCG and hope to see him come of age in Sydney.

 

[EliteCynic]

India can't win under any captain without good bowlers. India need someone like Imran Khan who can groom these bowlers.. someone who would talk to them ball by ball what to do! Like he did with Wasim and Waqar.

Have to agree with you, but India does not and will never have a player like that who can groom the bowlers. Zaheer did his bit, but did not seem to make a difference with Ishant. I think, there were 2 things with Imran:
1. He led by example. If someone is not performing, he would show how it is done and shame the bowler or at least make him feel that.
2. People were scared of 'what face will I show Imran', if they did not perform. He had that aura, that personality such that no one could point a finger at his performance and knew exactly what to do to get the best out of his bowlers.

India can never have that.

 

[Anfield]

Have to agree with you, but India does not and will never have a player like that who can groom the bowlers. Zaheer did his bit, but did not seem to make a difference with Ishant. I think, there were 2 things with Imran:
1. He led by example. If someone is not performing, he would show how it is done and shame the bowler or at least make him feel that.
2. People were scared of 'what face will I show Imran', if they did not perform. He had that aura, that personality such that no one could point a finger at his performance and knew exactly what to do to get the best out of his bowlers.

India can never have that.

Zaheer became a world class bowler from 2005 onward until he got overweight. If India can find someone like him they can become quite a good side.

I mentioned Imran Khan because India has very good raw bowlers in front of him. They need someone like Imran Khan who can nurture them at every point. Not only Imran Khan taught them the skills but groomed them off the field as well. Maybe India needs to hire a world class bowler as a bowling coach.

 

[Saj]

He was the next in line, he was the obvious choice and he's ready to take on the job.

The only issue there could be is that whilst he is aggressive, I think he needs to reign that aggression in at times as it could affect his tea and their performance.

 

[EliteCynic]

He was the next in line, he was the obvious choice and he's ready to take on the job.

The only issue there could be is that whilst he is aggressive, I think he needs to reign that aggression in at times as it could affect his tea and their performance.

I think his aggression might be the tonic he needs to energize himself and his team. some people do well when they are aggressive. For Kohli, the aggression has brought about his downfall in this series (got dropped twice going for silly shots). However, my take is that if talented/skillful players, players with swag, talk the talk, then they automatically motivate themselves to walk the talk, thus enhancing their reputation and in effect, massaging their ego. I know they would look stupid, if it doesn't come off, but that is a risk, Kohli is ready to take, I reckon.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Sorry for the late response SIF. So, I hear you and I take all your points, but somehow, having to defend Ashwin match by match, or series by series and 'would have beens' doesn't work for me. Next time, when the selectors sit and pick a team for abroad, his overall figures will only matter. I know he has done well at home. I give him one more chance in Sydney. Hope he crosses the line and gets a 4-fer at least in one innings. Always thought he was a better spinner than Lyon in helpful conditions. It is a catch 22 with Ashwin - You set attacking fields so that he can take wickets. He bowls 2 bad balls every over and pressure is released, thus forcing Dhoni to set defensive fields and there go his figures for a toss.

Hope Kohli realizes this and persists with an attacking field for Ashwin. Hope Ashwin realizes this and bowls tight lines like MCG and hope to see him come of age in Sydney.

Yeah I get that. At the end, results have to be there.

Let's see how it goes.

 

[Anfield]

I hope Kohli is agressive with his captaincy and bowling selection as well. Indians would have to give him time though, don't rush to the judgment.

 

[Khaseer]

Where's Allan Donald coaching now? He'd be great for you guys.

 

[Junaids]

Yes Sarfraz was the one who started the reverse swing and taught Imran Khan. But reverse swing wasn't the only weapon in Imran's armor. Imran khas was a very good new ball bowler as well. He developed a big inswinger at a very good pace. Also he would angle the ball and then take it away.

No.

Only Pakistanis think that Sarfraz was a big influence on Imran's bowling. He actually wasn't.

The first big influence was the great English fast bowler John Snow, who had won the Ashes in Australia in 1970-71 in a seven (yes, 7) Test series. They were team-mates at Sussex, and Snow taught Imran about line and length. Not in a defensive way, but in a "where to make the batsman answer difficult questions" way.

The bigger influence was Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket SuperTests, the highest form of cricket ever played. Imran was part of the third team (World XI who played against Australia and the West Indies). The players lived in one another's pockets and Imran watched closely what the others were doing. He was smarter and more analytical than 99% of cricketers - this was an Oxford University graduate, albeit with a bad degree - and he learned fast.

And he picked the brains of Dennis Lillee (who taught-him the leg-cutter so he had a ball to leave the batsman) and Ian Chappell in particular.

 

[MMHS]

No.

Only Pakistanis think that Sarfraz was a big influence on Imran's bowling. He actually wasn't.

The first big influence was the great English fast bowler John Snow, who had won the Ashes in Australia in 1970-71 in a seven (yes, 7) Test series. They were team-mates at Sussex, and Snow taught Imran about line and length. Not in a defensive way, but in a "where to make the batsman answer difficult questions" way.

The bigger influence was Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket SuperTests, the highest form of cricket ever played. Imran was part of the third team (World XI who played against Australia and the West Indies). The players lived in one another's pockets and Imran watched closely what the others were doing. He was smarter and more analytical than 99% of cricketers - this was an Oxford University graduate, albeit with a bad degree - and he learned fast.

And he picked the brains of Dennis Lillee (who taught-him the leg-cutter so he had a ball to leave the batsman) and Ian Chappell in particular.

I understand Bhai, you have read All-round View.....

 

[desi_launda]

South Africa tour India this October.Will be an interesting closely-fought series

 

[MMHS]

^^ 2 more you have to name - his Sussex Captain Greig & his WSC new ball partner Gearth Le Raux. For his benefit, Imran hardly played in PAK domestic (I believe last was 1980), which actually helped him to mature as a person & saved him from spoiling as a cricketer. Imagine, KHAN playing for PIA or Habib Bank, under a 42 years old Captain, who is getting his pension because one of the Director is his wife's, cousin's father in law & instructing Imran high elbow, steady head, seam up....... But his biggest fundamental development was done at Oxford where he learned the proper technique of cricket in correct method. I think, sometime in 1973, he bowled Boycott twice through gate & scored a pair of 100s, that earned him a County contract at Warwickshire & then Sussex. He also learned the value of hard work at Oxford.

 

[Junaids]

I understand Bhai, you have read All-round View.....

Guilty as charged!

 

[Junaids]

^^ 2 more you have to name - his Sussex Captain Greig & his WSC new ball partner Gearth Le Raux. For his benefit, Imran hardly played in PAK domestic (I believe last was 1980), which actually helped him to mature as a person & saved him from spoiling as a cricketer. Imagine, KHAN playing for PIA or Habib Bank, under a 42 years old Captain, who is getting his pension because one of the Director is his wife's, cousin's father in law & instructing Imran high elbow, steady head, seam up....... But his biggest fundamental development was done at Oxford where he learned the proper technique of cricket in correct method. I think, sometime in 1973, he bowled Boycott twice through gate & scored a pair of 100s, that earned him a County contract at Warwickshire & then Sussex. He also learned the value of hard work at Oxford.

You've read it too!

I wish that Indian and Pakistani cricketers who are smart would still go to university in England. It's so important to broaden your horizons and to master alien conditions.

I wrote a couple of years ago that Umukt Chand would be the perfect candidate to go there.

 

[MMHS]

Coming to the topic - How IND 'll do under VK...

First of all, I think I was among the first here who thinks VK is the right person to lead IND. BUT, my hunch is, unless IND improves it's bowling SIGNIFICANTLY, statistically VK 'll be much, much inferior than MSD. Why?

Because MSD was an outstanding defensive Captain - with his limited resources, he could squeeze batting side into suffocation. In ODI, with Indian attack, what he has achieved, I doubt anyone can ever repeat that. For the disadvantage of VK, he is extremely aggressive, not the best operating mode when you don't have a single world class bowler. In IND, VK 'll win lot of matches, but that's nothing new, MS won lot more tournaments.

MSD was master of adopting into situations & counter strategy - at the end of the day ODI is extremely defensive form of game. Defensive doesn't mean putting 9 men on line - 4 on outer & 5 on inner line ala Shahid Khan's aggression, defensive means - while batting, don't try to manufacture a boundary as long as a single is available & while bowling - don't allow the RR to race for the sake of wickets - dot balls are the key. This is one reason why I have seen MS struggle to strike in abroad Test - he is habituated of calculating dots. In ODI, whenever a wicket fells, he takes the opportunity to off-load some of his weaker overs to the new batsman & create pressure by intelligent field placings. It doesn't work in Test......

VK is aggressive, I don't think there 'll be much change in India's home result, but VK 'll struggle with this attack abroad. He has a long, long way to go to master the "depriving" tactics with a poor attack - my hunch is IND 'll lose more away matches under VK. Just for an example - both Adelaide & MCG Test was interrupted by rain, both cases AUS got a similar lead, but they won the first one & drew the second - I put the entire credit to MSD. It's not only that IND tried to win at Adelaide - The MASTER Trick was on last morning - I am sure, had VK been Captain, he would have taken the new ball when due & Aussies would have raced to a 375+ lead & 85 overs to bowl - here 85 is a key figure because that would have allowed MJ & RH 5 overs with 2nd new ball to throw everything at "not so good" Indian tail.

Aggressive Captain is great when you have weapons, otherwise it's self destructive.

 

[Raw deal]

As long as they have bowlers like vice captain ishanth Sharma, they will continue to lose test matches outside India. They just don't have the ability to pick 20 wickets in a test match.
They are funny to watch bowl and field like headless chickens all day. Lol . I love that.

 

[desi_launda]

india will whitewash Australia in Australia

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Coming to the topic - How IND 'll do under VK...

First of all, I think I was among the first here who thinks VK is the right person to lead IND. BUT, my hunch is, unless IND improves it's bowling SIGNIFICANTLY, statistically VK 'll be much, much inferior than MSD. Why?

Because MSD was an outstanding defensive Captain - with his limited resources, he could squeeze batting side into suffocation. In ODI, with Indian attack, what he has achieved, I doubt anyone can ever repeat that. For the disadvantage of VK, he is extremely aggressive, not the best operating mode when you don't have a single world class bowler. In IND, VK 'll win lot of matches, but that's nothing new, MS won lot more tournaments.

MSD was master of adopting into situations & counter strategy - at the end of the day ODI is extremely defensive form of game. Defensive doesn't mean putting 9 men on line - 4 on outer & 5 on inner line ala Shahid Khan's aggression, defensive means - while batting, don't try to manufacture a boundary as long as a single is available & while bowling - don't allow the RR to race for the sake of wickets - dot balls are the key. This is one reason why I have seen MS struggle to strike in abroad Test - he is habituated of calculating dots. In ODI, whenever a wicket fells, he takes the opportunity to off-load some of his weaker overs to the new batsman & create pressure by intelligent field placings. It doesn't work in Test......

VK is aggressive, I don't think there 'll be much change in India's home result, but VK 'll struggle with this attack abroad. He has a long, long way to go to master the "depriving" tactics with a poor attack - my hunch is IND 'll lose more away matches under VK. Just for an example - both Adelaide & MCG Test was interrupted by rain, both cases AUS got a similar lead, but they won the first one & drew the second - I put the entire credit to MSD. It's not only that IND tried to win at Adelaide - The MASTER Trick was on last morning - I am sure, had VK been Captain, he would have taken the new ball when due & Aussies would have raced to a 375+ lead & 85 overs to bowl - here 85 is a key figure because that would have allowed MJ & RH 5 overs with 2nd new ball to throw everything at "not so good" Indian tail.

Aggressive Captain is great when you have weapons, otherwise it's self destructive.

But on the LAST day, what happened in MCG was a changed Australia approach. They played 23 overs scoring 57.

Dhoni had a field spread out but they STILL didn't slog even though they knew they were using up valuable overs.

Why?

One name.

Virat Kohli.

They were scared that if they would give us a competitive total, there was a chance we could chase it down cos the pitch didn't look as threatening as Adelaide.

Its another matter that MCG turned out to be tougher to score fast.

This is something they themselves said in the press conference later on.

I really don't think Dhoni was the reason for the draw. It was Aus defensive strategy due to Kohli's batting and press conference, later on Kohli and Rahane's batting and then finally Dhoni and Ashwin closed it out.

I agree with the fundamental point you are making though. Wild aggression without tools may backfire.

 

[Raw deal]

But on the LAST day, what happened in MCG was a changed Australia approach. They played 23 overs scoring 57.

Dhoni had a field spread out but they STILL didn't slog even though they knew they were using up valuable overs.

Why?

One name.

Virat Kohli.

They were scared that if they would give us a competitive total, there was a chance we could chase it down cos the pitch didn't look as threatening as Adelaide.

Its another matter that MCG turned out to be tougher to score fast.

This is something they themselves said in the press conference later on.

I really don't think Dhoni was the reason for the draw. It was Aus defensive strategy due to Kohli's batting and press conference, later on Kohli and Rahane's batting and then finally Dhoni and Ashwin closed it out.

I agree with the fundamental point you are making though. Wild aggression without tools may backfire.

lol. No. Indians wanted a draw. They could have set aggressive field. Its India who needed a win to tie the series 2-2 . But they are very defensive. Even if India got aggressive field, they don't have bowlers to pick the remaining wickets.
Indian still didn't get 20 wickets in that test match. No matter,how much you try to hype your kohli, there is an undeniable fact that Indian bowling sucks big time.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

lol. No. Indians wanted a draw. They could have set aggressive field. Its India who needed a win to tie the series 2-2 . But they are very defensive. Even if India got aggressive field, they don't have bowlers to pick the remaining wickets.
Indian still didn't get 20 wickets in that test match. No matter,how much you try to hype your kohli, there is an undeniable fact that Indian bowling sucks big time.

Did you even understand my post bro?

Where did talk about India's intention?

I am talking about Aussie's thought process which they revealed in the press conference.

And Kohli is rightly hyped after his achievements in Aus.

 

[cricketjoshila]

It will take atleast 2 years for this team to do something significant.None of the batter have even 50 tests.Some dont even have 30 or 20 tests.The bowling is very raw and except Ishant no one has even played 20 tests.Aaron/Yadav/Shami dont even have 10 tests.

 

[Raw deal]

Did you even understand my post bro?

Where did talk about India's intention?

I am talking about Aussie's thought process which they revealed in the press conference.

And Kohli is rightly hyped after his achievements in Aus.

What's wrong with Aussie thought process? Don't expect them to give this win for free. You have to earn your victory if you want to tie the series.

 

[IndianWillow]

But on the LAST day, what happened in MCG was a changed Australia approach. They played 23 overs scoring 57.

Dhoni had a field spread out but they STILL didn't slog even though they knew they were using up valuable overs.

Why?

One name.

Virat Kohli.

They were scared that if they would give us a competitive total, there was a chance we could chase it down cos the pitch didn't look as threatening as Adelaide.

Its another matter that MCG turned out to be tougher to score fast.

This is something they themselves said in the press conference later on.

I really don't think Dhoni was the reason for the draw. It was Aus defensive strategy due to Kohli's batting and press conference, later on Kohli and Rahane's batting and then finally Dhoni and Ashwin closed it out.

I agree with the fundamental point you are making though. Wild aggression without tools may backfire.

Why would Australia risk giving India a chance to square the series? The chances of India chasing 350 was anyway less than 1/10. You can't chase 350 with just three batsmen and eight passenger batsmen in the side - Vijay, Kohli and Rahane - Australia wasn't afraid of India chasing the target because they knew they would win if they take out a couple of these batsmen.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Why would Australia risk giving India a chance to square the series? The chances of India chasing 350 was anyway less than 1/10. You can't chase 350 with just three batsmen and eight passenger batsmen in the side - Vijay, Kohli and Rahane - Australia wasn't afraid of India chasing the target because they knew they would win if they take out a couple of these batsmen.

Then why play out 23 overs in the final day without slogging?

They themselves said that the pitch is good and they didn't want to take any chances.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

What's wrong with Aussie thought process? Don't expect them to give this win for free. You have to earn your victory if you want to tie the series.

Did I again say their thought process was wrong?

I just wrote that the draw was NOT due to Dhoni but due to the Aussie's thought process.

Dhoni's defensive fields in the last day helped but Aussies were the main ones who allowed us to draw this one.

 

[Raw deal]

Did I again say their thought process was wrong?

I just wrote that the draw was NOT due to Dhoni but due to the Aussie's thought process.

Dhoni's defensive fields in the last day helped but Aussies were the main ones who allowed us to draw this one.

Naah. It was because of Indians. Dhoni s defensive field helped? Lol. How about this? Aussie slow batting helped but dhoni's field setting were the main reason.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Naah. It was because of Indians. Dhoni s defensive field helped? Lol. How about this? Aussie slow batting helped but dhoni's field setting were the main reason.

Oh God.

I said:

Dhoni's defensive fields in the last day helped but Aussies were the main ones who allowed us to draw this one.

I don't want to give Dhoni much credit or any credit. He is a rubbish Test captain. Just said it could have helped (cos Aussies got defensive fields which prevented them from scoring boundaries fast) but it was MAINLY MAINLY MAINLY Aussies's thought process that gave us the draw.

Considering the following mind numbingly stupid interaction I have had with you in the last 3 posts, I am not surprised with your India hate which you spew regularly.

It took you 3 tries to understand my original post and you still can't. )

 

[OZGOD]

But on the LAST day, what happened in MCG was a changed Australia approach. They played 23 overs scoring 57.

Dhoni had a field spread out but they STILL didn't slog even though they knew they were using up valuable overs.

Why?

One name.

Virat Kohli.

They were scared that if they would give us a competitive total, there was a chance we could chase it down cos the pitch didn't look as threatening as Adelaide.

Its another matter that MCG turned out to be tougher to score fast.

This is something they themselves said in the press conference later on.

I really don't think Dhoni was the reason for the draw. It was Aus defensive strategy due to Kohli's batting and press conference, later on Kohli and Rahane's batting and then finally Dhoni and Ashwin closed it out.

I agree with the fundamental point you are making though. Wild aggression without tools may backfire.

You may be overrating Kohli's contribution to the declaration. Certainly the Adelaide chase played a part in the extended declaration. But circumstances played a bigger part. You saw Clarke make a generous declaration in Adelaide because the OZ needed a win. They didn't need a win in Melbourne and certainly weren't going to give India a chance to get back into the series and possibly tie the series and retain the trophy with a possible spin friendly wicket in Sydney. When they saw Dhoni go defensive with fielders on the rope they figured "he's just waiting for us to declare so they can have a go, so bugger him and keep batting for a bit longer, who cares about the win".

As for thinking the OZ were worried about Kohli's press conference, lol mate. Let's be serious. They probably had a good laugh about it but that was it. What I found funny was Kohli complaining to the umpires about Haddin clapping in his face saying "it's all about you, it's always about you Virat" after he was nearly run out. For someone who likes being sledged it was funny to see him whinging to the umpires about it.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

You may be overrating Kohli's contribution to the declaration. Certainly the Adelaide chase played a part in the extended declaration. But circumstances played a bigger part. You saw Clarke make a generous declaration in Adelaide because the OZ needed a win. They didn't need a win in Melbourne and certainly weren't going to give India a chance to get back into the series and possibly tie the series and retain the trophy with a possible spin friendly wicket in Sydney. When they saw Dhoni go defensive with fielders on the rope they figured "he's just waiting for us to declare so they can have a go, so bugger him and keep batting for a bit longer, who cares about the win".

As for thinking the OZ were worried about Kohli's press conference, lol mate. Let's be serious. They probably had a good laugh about it but that was it. What I found funny was Kohli complaining to the umpires about Haddin clapping in his face saying "it's all about you, it's always about you Virat" after he was nearly run out. For someone who likes being sledged it was funny to see him whinging to the umpires about it.

Bro, I am no fan of that press conference. Commented about that several times.

Maybe it was not Kohli's press conference but his batting on Adelaide played a role. That was the main thing. India has just 3 batsmen in form - Kohli, Rahane and Vijay and in Adelaide it was Kohli who really gave Aussies the scare.

Why is my post interpreted as a praise for Kohli when I am saying Aussies gave us the draw more than Dhoni getting it for us.

Smith's statement in press conference

The wicket did not deteriorate much and they had some strong batting, so we wanted to take it away from them. It was about keeping the series safe, rather than Shaun's hundred. We came close here but it wasn't enough. We are looking forward to make it 3-0 in Sydney.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/austral.../754741.html?innings=4;page=2;view=commentary

They didn't need a win in Melbourne and certainly weren't going to give India a chance to get back into the series and possibly tie the series and retain the trophy with a possible spin friendly wicket in Sydney.

So where exactly did I say something that is different to what you are saying?

 

[Raw deal]

Oh God.

I said:

Dhoni's defensive fields in the last day helped but Aussies were the main ones who allowed us to draw this one.

I don't want to give Dhoni much credit or any credit. He is a rubbish Test captain. Just said it could have helped (cos Aussies got defensive fields which prevented them from scoring boundaries fast) but it was MAINLY MAINLY MAINLY Aussies's thought process that gave us the draw.

Considering the following mind numbingly stupid interaction I have had with you in the last 3 posts, I am not surprised with your India hate which you spew regularly.

It took you 3 tries to understand my original post and you still can't. )

no no and no. It was because of Indians defensive field setting.

Who wanted to win desperately? - Indians.
Who set defensive field setting - Indians.
Why didn't Aussies declare? - because they didn't want to give a sniff to Indian.
Who lacked skill to pick wickets - Indians.

Indians all the way...lol

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

no no and no. It was because of Indians defensive field setting.

Who wanted to win desperately? - Indians.
Who set defensive field setting - Indians.
Why didn't Aussies declare? - because they didn't want to give a sniff to Indian.
Who lacked skill to pick wickets - Indians.

Indians all the way...lol

Proving your intellectual and comprehension capabilities bro.

You don't even know the right way to troll. Probably you are too new for it.

 

[Saurav]

only way Dhoni got us that draw is by batting out whatever overs were left.Not because of fields lol

On topic,We might lose lot more under Kohli but we'd win a few too.Thats assuming Kohli remains aggressive.Even Dhoni was bit aggressive when he came on

 

[spiderreddy]

You may be overrating Kohli's contribution to the declaration. Certainly the Adelaide chase played a part in the extended declaration. But circumstances played a bigger part. You saw Clarke make a generous declaration in Adelaide because the OZ needed a win. They didn't need a win in Melbourne and certainly weren't going to give India a chance to get back into the series and possibly tie the series and retain the trophy with a possible spin friendly wicket in Sydney. When they saw Dhoni go defensive with fielders on the rope they figured "he's just waiting for us to declare so they can have a go, so bugger him and keep batting for a bit longer, who cares about the win".

As for thinking the OZ were worried about Kohli's press conference, lol mate. Let's be serious. They probably had a good laugh about it but that was it. What I found funny was Kohli complaining to the umpires about Haddin clapping in his face saying "it's all about you, it's always about you Virat" after he was nearly run out. For someone who likes being sledged it was funny to see him whinging to the umpires about it.

He did a watson there

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

As much as I attack Dhoni for his garbage test captaincy, I agree with MMHS reg that.

In the final day, Dhoni pushed the fields out so Aussies couldn't get regular boundaries and set us a target quickly.

I am not even sure whether that was a good move at THAT time but in hindsight it DID help us.

 

[Raw deal]

Proving your intellectual and comprehension capabilities bro.

You don't even know the right way to troll. Probably you are too new for it.

what comprehension skills , lol. You are the one hyping and saying Aussies were scare of the mighty Indian batsmen. Lol. Gimme a break. Ha ha..
I will tell you again if you don't understand.
Its the Indians who needed victory not the Aussies.
Why Aussies didn't play their shots? Because they didn't wanted to give a sniff to Indians.
Your bowling attack is pathetic who couldn't pick last two wickets. Just accept your team is garbage and move on. Continuously losing in Australia and England and you still hype them lol

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

what comprehension skills , lol. You are the one hyping and saying Aussies were scare of the mighty Indian batsmen. Lol. Gimme a break. Ha ha..
I will tell you again if you don't understand.
Its the Indians who needed victory not the Aussies.
Why Aussies didn't play their shots? Because they didn't wanted to give a sniff to Indians.
Your bowling attack is pathetic who couldn't pick last two wickets. Just accept your team is garbage and move on. Continuously losing in Australia and England and you still hype them lol

Again proving your brilliant analytical and comprehension skills.

I didn't say we were good. I predicted 0-4 before this series started.
I didn't say Aussies didn't want to give us a sniff. They didn't. That's what I am saying but your "brilliant ability to understand" is not allowing you to understand.

5-6 back and forth posts later, you still haven't understood my main post.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Correction - I didn't say Aussies wanted to give us a sniff. They didn't.

 

[Raw deal]

Again proving your brilliant analytical and comprehension skills.

I didn't say we were good. I predicted 0-4 before this series started.
I didn't say Aussies didn't want to give us a sniff. They didn't. That's what I am saying but your "brilliant ability to understand" is not allowing you to understand.

5-6 back and forth posts later, you still haven't understood my main post.

lol. Running away. You were the one who said Aussies were scared of Virat kohli who is a super man and he can chase it within a day. Lol.
What comedy and hype bhai jaan..

 

[anuk]

india should learn to draw games first. i hope kohli doesn't try to go for wins too soon. india made some progress in the last match by earning a draw so they need to build on that first. this series is gone anyway.

 

[spiderreddy]

what comprehension skills , lol. You are the one hyping and saying Aussies were scare of the mighty Indian batsmen. Lol. Gimme a break. Ha ha..
I will tell you again if you don't understand.
Its the Indians who needed victory not the Aussies.
Why Aussies didn't play their shots? Because they didn't wanted to give a sniff to Indians.
Your bowling attack is pathetic who couldn't pick last two wickets. Just accept your team is garbage and move on. Continuously losing in Australia and England and you still hype them lol

watch smith's post match presentation interview onting

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

lol. Running away. You were the one who said Aussies were scared of Virat kohli who is a super man and he can chase it within a day. Lol. What comedy and hype bhai jaan..

Seriously were you dropped as a kid bro?

 

[Fire Bird]

He did a watson there

Yeah but Watson is an Aussie. He can't be whiner onting

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

People ACTING smart are the funniest.

Anyhoo....a huge waste of time.

 

[CricketAnalyst]

india should learn to draw games first. i hope kohli doesn't try to go for wins too soon. india made some progress in the last match by earning a draw so they need to build on that first. this series is gone anyway.

Heaven forbid someone by mistake thinks the objective of the game is to win.....

 

[spiderreddy]

india should learn to draw games first. i hope kohli doesn't try to go for wins too soon. india made some progress in the last match by earning a draw so they need to build on that first. this series is gone anyway.

too bad kohli has to listen to someone whose team is yet to win a test match in australia

 

[Raw deal]

Seriously were you dropped as a kid bro?

says the guy who has a cartoon character as his avatar picture. Ha ha ha. Comedians galore in PP.

 

[OZGOD]

Bro, I am no fan of that press conference. Commented about that several times.

Maybe it was not Kohli's press conference but his batting on Adelaide played a role. That was the main thing. India has just 3 batsmen in form - Kohli, Rahane and Vijay and in Adelaide it was Kohli who really gave Aussies the scare.

Why is my post interpreted as a praise for Kohli when I am saying Aussies gave us the draw more than Dhoni getting it for us.

Smith's statement in press conference



http://www.espncricinfo.com/austral.../754741.html?innings=4;page=2;view=commentary



So where exactly did I say something that is different to what you are saying?

Don't think anyone is disagreeing that the Aussies were mainly the reason for the draw. They deliberately batted too long and didn't give themselves enough time to bowl India out because they wanted to make sure they didn't give India a sniff. What I'm disagreeing with is that Kohli was the reason the OZ did that. It was mainly circumstance - the fact that they didn't have to win. If the series had been 0-0 and a win was needed they would have declared overnight and taken their chances.

 

[KevinFern]

2015 will make for a interesting comparison for both Indian and Pakistan test teams. While pakistan will mostly likely have a new captain with Misbah retiring after CWC, India will have VK as its new leader. Also both the teams will be touring almost the same countries at almost back to back around same time making for interesting comparisons. While Pakistan will go to Bangladesh in April, soon after India will be in Bangladesh after they are gone. And then when Pakistan tour Srilanka then almost after India will be in Srilanka following them there too.
Its gonna be a sort of Asian Test Championship like situation with a subcontinental clash of all the four teams India, Pakistan, Srilanka and Bangladesh. To add to the intrigue, all the four team will be on a rebuilding process after the retirement many senior members from the teams after CWC. Will be fun to watch come the second half of 2015. My money gonna be on VK to come on top with India being crowned the Asian Champs

 

[Fire Bird]

Don't think anyone is disagreeing that the Aussies were mainly the reason for the draw. They deliberately batted too long and didn't give themselves enough time to bowl India out because they wanted to make sure they didn't give India a sniff. What I'm disagreeing with is that Kohli was the reason the OZ did that. It was mainly circumstance - the fact that they didn't have to win. If the series had been 0-0 and a win was needed they would have declared overnight and taken their chances.

Yeah but if it was Taylor or Waugh they would have gone for it. Smith took the easy way out to bat India out. I can't blame him but don't think Kohli and Vijay;s innings in Adelaide didn't play into his mind. He himself has admitted so much.

 

[Fire Bird]

2015 will make for a interesting comparison for both Indian and Pakistan test teams. While pakistan will mostly likely have a new captain with Misbah retiring after CWC, India will have VK as its new leader. Also both the teams will be touring almost the same countries at almost back to back around same time making for interesting comparisons. While Pakistan will go to Bangladesh in April, soon after India will be in Bangladesh after they are gone. And then when Pakistan tour Srilanka then almost after India will be in Srilanka following them there too.
Its gonna be a sort of Asian Test Championship like situation with a subcontinental clash of all the four teams India, Pakistan, Srilanka and Bangladesh. To add to the intrigue, all the four team will be on a rebuilding process after the retirement many senior members from the teams after CWC. Will be fun to watch come the second half of 2015. My money gonna be on VK to come on top with India being crowned the Asian Champs

Who cares about Bangladesh

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Don't think anyone is disagreeing that the Aussies were mainly the reason for the draw. They deliberately batted too long and didn't give themselves enough time to bowl India out because they wanted to make sure they didn't give India a sniff. What I'm disagreeing with is that Kohli was the reason the OZ did that. It was mainly circumstance - the fact that they didn't have to win. If the series had been 0-0 and a win was needed they would have declared overnight and taken their chances.

If Adelaide didn't happen and you were 1-0 up in the series instead of 2-0 in the final day at MCG, wouldn't you have gone for the win?

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

[MENTION=190]OZGOD[/MENTION]

Warner's own words:

"We saw in the Adelaide Test how well they fought there and luckily we got the breakthrough because it could have been a different story," David Warner said of Kohli's wicket in the Adelaide Test. "They would have gone one-nil up. We know what their batting line up is like: Kohli and Rahane put on a great partnership.

"They had their luck but they went on with it and got big scores. That is in the back of our mind. We know the positive brand of cricket they are playing now and we have got to come out with the ball and either dry it up or take those ten wickets ... I think we need a few more runs than what we have got on the board at the moment."

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-india-2014-15/content/story/814681.html

Kohli (and what the Indian lineup did in Adelaide) was clearly at the back of their mind or else never in a million years would Aus had not pushed aggressively for a win in MCG.

You can see for yourself from Warner's wordings.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Warner even used the words "That is in the back of our mind. ".

 

[OZGOD]

If Adelaide didn't happen and you were 1-0 up in the series instead of 2-0 in the final day at MCG, wouldn't you have gone for the win?

If we needed a win in Melbourne they would have taken more risks to achieve it. They didn't need to hence they went for the conservative approach. They deliberately batted slower so that so completely leave India without hope a) to make sure there was 0% chance of a win and b) as an up-yours.

Re Kohli's comments, Adelaide merely reinforced what a lot of captains think in cricket these days. We can talk about the mythology that "Aussies play hard, they always go for the win etc" but when push comes to shove, with a series win on the line, everyone is pragmatic. You won't see very many cricket captains declaring with a score below 350 with 90+ overs on the last day, whether the opposing team is Kohli and Rahane, Cook and Pietersen or Williamson and McCullum. Just because it was Kohli instead of someone else would probably not have influenced their thinking to the point where you think it did. They respect Kohli as they would respect any quality batsman but that's it. He hasn't taken on mythical proportions in their thinking.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

If we needed a win in Melbourne they would have taken more risks to achieve it. They didn't need to hence they went for the conservative approach. They deliberately batted slower so that so completely leave India without hope a) to make sure there was 0% chance of a win and b) as an up-yours.

Re Kohli's comments, Adelaide merely reinforced what a lot of captains think in cricket these days. We can talk about the mythology that "Aussies play hard, they always go for the win etc" but when push comes to shove, with a series win on the line, everyone is pragmatic. You won't see very many cricket captains declaring with a score below 350 with 90+ overs on the last day, whether the opposing team is Kohli and Rahane, Cook and Pietersen or Williamson and McCullum. Just because it was Kohli instead of someone else would probably not have influenced their thinking to the point where you think it did. They respect Kohli as they would respect any quality batsman but that's it. He hasn't taken on mythical proportions in their thinking.

Fine.

I am not saying its Kohli cos its Kohli. I am saying Kohli performed hence they thought. If XYZ performed, they would have thought about it the same way.

Look at Warner's own comments in the next post I wrote.

 

[OZGOD]

Yeah but if it was Taylor or Waugh they would have gone for it. Smith took the easy way out to bat India out. I can't blame him but don't think Kohli and Vijay;s innings in Adelaide didn't play into his mind. He himself has admitted so much.

Sure India's performance in Adelaide chasing a generous total influenced his thinking. He didn't want to give them any chance of a win at all. But Kohli is only one member of a team where four batsmen are averaging 60+. It's good to see that because of his outspoken nature he is the one hogging all the limelight but there are other players that the OZ are worried about, not just him. They aren't lying in bed worrying about Virat Kohli chasing down 400+ against them. He's good but he's not quite in Lara or Tendulkar status when it comes to personally worrying about a single player. If anything Smith was probably worried about his bowling attack too - specifically Lyon being a non-factor and Jonno being ineffective.

Also I've been watching cricket since the 1980s and Australian captains do not take stupid risks. Not when they have all to lose and not much to win. If the series was 1-1 and OZ needed a win to stay in the game they would definitely have put the foot down and batted quicker. Circumstance drives decisionmaking as much as fantasy. Whether that be Border, Taylor, Waugh or whoever.

 

[OZGOD]

Fine.

I am not saying its Kohli cos its Kohli. I am saying Kohli performed hence they thought. If XYZ performed, they would have thought about it the same way.

Look at Warner's own comments in the next post I wrote.

I saw it and responded. I understand that Kohli is the player of the moment and that he will naturally be a player that will be seen as one of the positives from the tour and he is certainly that. Nobody is diminishing Kohli's contribution. Put it this way. If Kohli had got injured at the end of Day 4 I think the OZ would still have batted till lunch.

 

[Fire Bird]

Sure India's performance in Adelaide chasing a generous total influenced his thinking. He didn't want to give them any chance of a win at all. But Kohli is only one member of a team where four batsmen are averaging 60+. It's good to see that because of his outspoken nature he is the one hogging all the limelight but there are other players that the OZ are worried about, not just him. They aren't lying in bed worrying about Virat Kohli chasing down 400+ against them. He's good but he's not quite in Lara or Tendulkar status when it comes to personally worrying about a single player. If anything Smith was probably worried about his bowling attack too - specifically Lyon being a non-factor and Jonno being ineffective.

Also I've been watching cricket since the 1980s and Australian captains do not take stupid risks. Not when they have all to lose and not much to win. If the series was 1-1 and OZ needed a win to stay in the game they would definitely have put the foot down and batted quicker. Circumstance drives decisionmaking as much as fantasy. Whether that be Border, Taylor, Waugh or whoever.

Ok I didn't think it was a stupid risk at all. Even the adelaide test was won by Australia comfortably in the end. I don't think India had a shout in this one after letting Aus escape to 300+ in the second innings. But I agree with Smith's concern about Lyon and MJ.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

I saw it and responded. I understand that Kohli is the player of the moment and that he will naturally be a player that will be seen as one of the positives from the tour and he is certainly that. Nobody is diminishing Kohli's contribution. Put it this way. If Kohli had got injured at the end of Day 4 I think the OZ would still have batted till lunch.

I get you but my point is simple bro.

In Adelaide, India were given the target (Aus would have known about the shift in modern day batting mindset but they did give us the target AT that time, didn't they?).

Things went close but Aussies won.

Now in MCG, when they had an option to finish off the series and the pitch looked better than Adelaide (later on we all found out it wasn't as easy to score fast but at that time Aussies said they were not too confident about the pitch).

So the late declaration was maybe a sensible decision but it did happen based on what happened in Adelaide. And Aussies KNOW very well that India have just 3 batsmen who were scoring well but inspite of that, they were apprehensive (I am not saying they are wrong in thinking that).

Hence my point.

If India had got rolled over in Adelaide or if Adelaide test was cancelled and the score was 1-0, then I am 99% sure Aus would have pushed for the win.

 

[OZGOD]

Ok I didn't think it was a stupid risk at all. Even the adelaide test was won by Australia comfortably in the end. I don't think India had a shout in this one after letting Aus escape to 300+ in the second innings. But I agree with Smith's concern about Lyon and MJ.

I guess when I talk about stupid risk I'm talking of the risk-reward. They needed to draw to win the series. Winning this Test would extend the series score to 3-0 and keep alive the chance of a whitewash. Losing the Test would make the score 2-1 and open up the possibility of an Indian win in Sydney where the surface traditionally takes spin, which would result in a drawn series and India retaining the BG trophy.

So what would have been going thru Smith's mind is, do I risk losing this game to try and win it when a draw is good enough for a series win? What do I have to gain vs what do I have to lose? He took the pragmatic approach. Why tempt fate when you don't have to? If he needed to win, you can bet your bottom dollar he would have taken more of a risk. But they had played well in the first two Tests to put themselves in a position where they only needed to not lose here.

I'm not trying to defend what he did, I prefer to see the teams have a go, and I think that they could have pushed the run rate a bit, and as a result Smith is getting some stick in the press for it. But it's not my livelihood and reputation on the line sitting on my couch and neither is it the press's. So I understand exactly why he did it. It's easy to get caught up in the romanticism of "we play aggressive and the Australian way is to try to win every Test we play" but when push comes to shove everyone is pragmatic and rational. That's my point - whether it's Taylor, Clarke or whoever else.

 

[OZGOD]

I get you but my point is simple bro.

In Adelaide, India were given the target (Aus would have known about the shift in modern day batting mindset but they did give us the target AT that time, didn't they?).

Things went close but Aussies won.

Now in MCG, when they had an option to finish off the series and the pitch looked better than Adelaide (later on we all found out it wasn't as easy to score fast but at that time Aussies said they were not too confident about the pitch).

So the late declaration was maybe a sensible decision but it did happen based on what happened in Adelaide. And Aussies KNOW very well that India have just 3 batsmen who were scoring well but inspite of that, they were apprehensive (I am not saying they are wrong in thinking that).

Hence my point.

If India had got rolled over in Adelaide or if Adelaide test was cancelled and the score was 1-0, then I am 99% sure Aus would have pushed for the win.

I think we're saying the same thing. I'm not arguing for or against the declaration. I mentioned above that if the OZ needed a win they would have pushed for one, whether it was 1-0, 1-1 or 0-0. They didn't need a win so they didn't go for one. And I'm arguing that their decision to take the action they did had more to do with a) their needs and b) the Indian team as a whole than it had to do with Kohli the individual. Because if they needed a win they would have pushed for one, Kohli or no Kohli. That's not intended to diminish Kohli's contribution by any means but he's only one player and cricket is a team sport and Team India have a number of decent batsmen, not just him.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

I think we're saying the same thing. I'm not arguing for or against the declaration. I mentioned above that if the OZ needed a win they would have pushed for one, whether it was 1-0, 1-1 or 0-0. They didn't need a win so they didn't go for one. And I'm arguing that their decision to take the action they did had more to do with a) their needs and b) the Indian team as a whole than it had to do with Kohli the individual. Because if they needed a win they would have pushed for one, Kohli or no Kohli. That's not intended to diminish Kohli's contribution by any means but he's only one player and cricket is a team sport and Team India have a number of decent batsmen, not just him.

We are saying but with a small difference.

Only Kohli had the mongrel in our team to attempt Adelaide victory. He is the biggest clutch player and he showed that in Adelaide.So his performance had a lot to do with it.

Aus in the past have given sporting declarations in the recent past even when the opposition team had good batsmen. But THIS TIME, they didn't. That's cos Indian batting team is kinda strong for these flattish pitches but there is a clutch guy out there.

With all being said, I am also not saying Aussies consider Kohli to be some beyond great batsman. He is good and they respect him for that. Since the pitches are flat and its Kohli and IMHO it played a part.

Remove Kohli....I don't think people would be that worried about Rahane, Vijay, Pujara combo. Its the addition of him that brings a different dimension to the whole thing.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

It won't be 1 win in 20 away matches. That's for sure. I expect us to start winning in ENG and NZ at least.

 

[Abhilash93]

Steve Smith: "I thought India had some very good batters in the shed. I did not want to give them a crack at it"

 

[OZGOD]

We are saying but with a small difference.

Only Kohli had the mongrel in our team to attempt Adelaide victory. He is the biggest clutch player and he showed that in Adelaide.So his performance had a lot to do with it.

Aus in the past have given sporting declarations in the recent past even when the opposition team had good batsmen. But THIS TIME, they didn't. That's cos Indian batting team is kinda strong for these flattish pitches but there is a clutch guy out there.

With all being said, I am also not saying Aussies consider Kohli to be some beyond great batsman. He is good and they respect him for that. Since the pitches are flat and its Kohli and IMHO it played a part.

Remove Kohli....I don't think people would be that worried about Rahane, Vijay, Pujara combo. Its the addition of him that brings a different dimension to the whole thing.

Yes where we differ is the degree to which Virat Kohli the individual player influenced the timing of the declaration.

 

[MMHS]

I think, at MCG, it was more IND to avoid defeat than AUS not trying to win. AUS was 2-0 up & only 2 ways IND could have won the match
1. Blow the Aussie tail in 7/8 overs & chase ~350 in 85+ overs or
2. Move on with the game - bowl some part-timers, allow AUS to score quickly & give them (AUS) a chance to get 10 wickets - that's 90 overs of bowling. This is not new - I think, at Lords '84, Lloyd allowed ENG to set 344 in 85 overs on day 5 & then it was Grineedge show.

What MSD did was exactly the way IND/SRL plays ODI cricket - restrict scoring to a chase able target. What was MS expecting - he 'll give 2 runs/over & Smith, with a 2-0 lead & 2 matches to go, 'll declare for IND to chase 350 in 90 overs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CricketCartoons]

Some decisions by Kohli in today's match:

Dropping Pujara, bringing Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. Tinkers with batting when it hasn't been the problem and still goes with 4 bowlers. Concedes 350 for 2. So much for aggressive captaincy.

 

[Saurav]

Hes doing a great job of making Dhoni look good.Never thought I'll miss Dhoni the captain