What should be the balance of the Indian Test team for the upcoming home season?

[Slog]

How to get the balance of Indian test team? Someone pls work with Rahul and polish his keeping skills. I am saying this for ages if Rahul can dawn the keeping gloves for India in all formats, the balance of the side improves drastically and we will get our next MS Dhoni. Wriddhiman Saha is a club cricketer, sorry to say.

Imagine this lineup:

Dhawan
Vijay
Pujara
Virat
Rahane
Rahul
Ashwin
Jadeja
Shami
Ishant
Umesh

The above team covers all bases.

Saha is ok.

Averaged 40+ in last 2 series (discount SA home series)

havent seen a lot of his keeping but apparently its very clean

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

I'd count Ashwin as a batsman as well. He has capacity to score 100s with tail.

Not convinced with him in spin tracks. Has got the technique but off late his game against spin hasn't been good.

How to get the balance of Indian test team? Someone pls work with Rahul and polish his keeping skills. I am saying this for ages if Rahul can dawn the keeping gloves for India in all formats, the balance of the side improves drastically and we will get our next MS Dhoni. Wriddhiman Saha is a club cricketer, sorry to say.

Imagine this lineup:

Dhawan
Vijay
Pujara
Virat
Rahane
Rahul
Ashwin
Jadeja
Shami
Ishant
Umesh

The above team covers all bases.

Saha may not be talented but has got fight in him.

If you go and look back at SA series, the first 3 tests where we closed out the series, the batsmen who helped us win were:

Vijay, Pujara, Jaddu and Saha.

Saha's played some crucial gritty knocks. Did the same in SL.

Recently saved us in WI too.

A proper keeper is needed.

 

[rahanefan]

How to get the balance of Indian test team? Someone pls work with Rahul and polish his keeping skills. I am saying this for ages if Rahul can dawn the keeping gloves for India in all formats, the balance of the side improves drastically and we will get our next MS Dhoni. Wriddhiman Saha is a club cricketer, sorry to say.

Imagine this lineup:

Dhawan
Vijay
Pujara
Virat
Rahane
Rahul
Ashwin
Jadeja
Shami
Ishant
Umesh

The above team covers all bases.

Rahul at 6 is a disaster.

He is one of the best batting prospects (possibly the best) in India and he is an opener in domestics as well if i'm not wrong.

And you want him to bat at 6? Really?

I would rather have Rohit at 6 rather than playing Rahul there and ruin his career.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Saha is ok.

Averaged 40+ in last 2 series (discount SA home series)

havent seen a lot of his keeping but apparently its very clean

He scored crucial runs in SA too (when the series was alive).

Didn't get a chance to bat on the easy Bangalore track and was 23* in Delhi 3rd innings (flopped in 1st innings though).

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

You are taking away too much credit from England 2012 team

They did well in SL as well and drew the series and arguably were the stronger side (and SL was a solid team at home in those days)

Even in the 3-0 whitewash in UAE, the scoreline flattered us. In 2 of the 3 matches, England dominated significant portions of the match and certainly the gulf wasnt as big as the scoreline suggested. And they did learn their lessons from that tour for SL and India.

The England side was very solid. Cook, KP were very solid in Asian conditions and had developed their game over the UAE and SL series. Trott did well and for a keeper Prior was solid. And their spin attack was as good as its been for them in eons. The pacers ie Broand and Anderson always contribute someway.

So you are doing a disservice by downplaying them. Also Sehwag won you guys the only match you won

When did I downplay them?

Tell me if your 4 bats out of 7 are USELESS (3 of whom were booted out and 4th soon enough) and one of 2 spinners are useless....mentioning that is downplaying?

Sehwag sure won the game but then the same game Pujara scored 200+ NOT OUT. Even Yuvi scored 70 in that game. EVEN YUVI.

So on restrospect that knock hurt us more.

I mentioned that the 2012 England deserve all credit but what happened to Indian side is true too.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Scorecard for Ahmedabad game - http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/565806.html

 

[rahanefan]

Not convinced with him in spin tracks. Has got the technique but off late his game against spin hasn't been good.



Saha may not be talented but has got fight in him.

If you go and look back at SA series, the first 3 tests where we closed out the series, the batsmen who helped us win were:

Vijay, Pujara, Jaddu and Saha.

Saha's played some crucial gritty knocks. Did the same in SL.

Recently saved us in WI too.

A proper keeper is needed.

Huh?

You want him to bat like Lara on spin tracks?

If yes, it ain't happening. If no, he is more than decent.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Huh?

You want him to bat like Lara on spin tracks?

If yes, it ain't happening. If no, he is more than decent.

I mean he isn't as good these days as he was (2012). Not as in good enough for spin tracks.

Let's hope he does well in the upcoming series.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

In fact, the 2012 team collapsed on the Nagpur patta (draw) and Kohli and Dhoni saved them.

They were THAT bad.

Their scores flatter them.

That's not to say if the 2012 team came over now, they would lose for sure. It would be a tight series.

 

[street cricketer]

We should've handed out voluntary retirements to all the seniors as soon as we were whitewashed in England, or at least after the Australian whitewash. We played with an over the hill team one series too many and dearly paid the price for it. The series loss at home was the tipping point really that knocked some sense into the selectors' heads and the team was revamped with a young team.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

We should've handed out voluntary retirements to all the seniors as soon as we were whitewashed in England, or at least after the Australian whitewash. We played with an over the hill team one series too many and dearly paid the price for it. The series loss at home was the tipping point really that knocked some sense into the selectors' heads and the team was revamped with a young team.

This is a global phenomenon actually.

Old generations always hung for too long. And fans defend them because of nostalgia.

Luis Aragones (legendary Spanish football manager) suffered a huge public bashing when he dropped Raul (a Real Madrid legend). Although Luis silenced his critics when Spain won Euro '08.

 

[aroor]

Let's see if Kohli can improve his average against England. Imagine his average without that 100 on the Nagpur flat pitch.

His scores against England.

Home : 19,14*,19,7,6,20,103,
Away : 1,8,25,0,39,28,0,7,6,20

 

[aroor]

His median score is just 14 against Poms

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

His median score is just 14 against Poms

View attachment 69553

The James Anderson effect. He was merciless against Kohli.
He is always merciless against SC tourists.

 

[Indian_Supporter]

Rahul at 6 is a disaster.

He is one of the best batting prospects (possibly the best) in India and he is an opener in domestics as well if i'm not wrong.

And you want him to bat at 6? Really?

I would rather have Rohit at 6 rather than playing Rahul there and ruin his career.

Yes that's fine with me. Open with Rahul, drop Dhawan and push Rohit at 6. But we can only accommodate if Rahul keeps.

I have reservations on Rohit as test batsman too. With Gambhir scoring heavily in Duleep trophy, worth looking at him again. Still the best batsman in India against spinners which we will face a lot in the next 13 tests.

 

[aroor]

cc varun

Someone is rooting for Gambhir's comeback.

 

[dani2k]

Yes that's fine with me. Open with Rahul, drop Dhawan and push Rohit at 6. But we can only accommodate if Rahul keeps.

.

A keeper who opens a test innings? Are you kidding me? Not happening..Rahul is a stop gap keeper at best and that too in T20s only. Test wicket keeping is a specialist job and not taking that route would be disastrous.

We can try out your suggestion in ODIs and T20s on an experimental basis though. Might work.

 

[dani2k]

cc varun

Someone is rooting for Gambhir's comeback.

Please no...he still hasn't come out of the 'Pokebir' mentality..If you want a left hander try Mukund who looked better..

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

Rahul at 6 is a disaster.

He is one of the best batting prospects (possibly the best) in India and he is an opener in domestics as well if i'm not wrong.

And you want him to bat at 6? Really?

I would rather have Rohit at 6 rather than playing Rahul there and ruin his career.

Nitish Rana is the best.

 

[DRsohail]

indian side z verry settled unfortunately they are carrying indian Muhammad hafeez in the form of rohit sharma......they need a good left hander up the order....the rest is done and dusted for the opposition...and dont play jadeja..mishra is better choice unless it s a rabk turner...

 

[street cricketer]

This is a global phenomenon actually.

Old generations always hung for too long. And fans defend them because of nostalgia.

Luis Aragones (legendary Spanish football manager) suffered a huge public bashing when he dropped Raul (a Real Madrid legend). Although Luis silenced his critics when Spain won Euro '08.

Yes, that's the problem with any top side. When you have a team of top cricketers performing to the best of their abilities in any sport, you go with the tried and tested mantra - "Don't change something when it isn't broken". Unfortunately like everything, time catches up with everyone. So you see a gradual or sometimes marked drop in the performance of those same top players due to senility. The coach (from the football perspective) thinks that it's just a poor run of form and that the players are good enough to overcome that. The players themselves think that they have gone through it all and trust in their ability to overcome their obstacle. But nobody can beat time and age, in the end, catches up with everyone.

It is what happened with the Indian team. The class of 2000s won at England, New Zealand, West Indies and drew in Australia and South Africa and as a result they went to the peak and stayed there for an year and a half. When they visited England again, they thought that they could win there again but what they didn't realise was that they were four years older nudging the 40s and they were playing a young team of a talented bunch of cricketers (KP, Bell, Cook, Trott, Jimmy, Broad, Swann, Prior, etc.) who were at their peak and were predictably demolished. But the selectors didn't learn their lessons and repeated the same foolish thing again and again expecting a different result. The series loss at India was the final straw, India does not often lose to teams at home and it has one of the strongest home records. So losing that series jolted the selectors and also seniors retired as well.

Even in the example you provided, that great spanish team ruled the football world for about 6 years but then Del Bosque thought he could repeat the world cup feat at Brazil with the same bunch of players - Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc, Casillas, etc. They didn't make the necessary changes and they paid for it in the 2014 world cup.

 

[troodon]

What people are forgetting is that the biggest weak link in Indian team is Saha.

Saha cannot score more than 20 against good bowling attacks. He can score some runs against Lanka, West Indies who have pretty mediocre bowling attacks. But going against England, Aus, NZ and SA, he will be exposed.

I wish Rahul could keep wickets.

This is the team India needs to field on Rank turners. Ashwin and jaddu are enough to gobble up any opposition on turners.

Dhawan
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahul (W/K)
Rahane
Manish Pandey/Rohit
Ashwin
Jaddu
Shami
Ishant



On pitches that may be slightly flatter, below should be the team.
Dhawan
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahul (W/K)
Rahane
Ashwin
Jaddu
Mishra
Shami
Ishant

The key here is that Saha should not be in the team. He just lengthens the tail. We need a batsman that can score runs when the pitches are flat and post big totals and put scoreboard pressure.

 

[aroor]

Ashwin will have to satisfy 10 wickets at least, if we make Rahul to keep wickets.

 

[rahanefan]

What people are forgetting is that the biggest weak link in Indian team is Saha.

Saha cannot score more than 20 against good bowling attacks. He can score some runs against Lanka, West Indies who have pretty mediocre bowling attacks. But going against England, Aus, NZ and SA, he will be exposed.

I wish Rahul could keep wickets.

This is the team India needs to field on Rank turners. Ashwin and jaddu are enough to gobble up any opposition on turners.

Dhawan
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahul (W/K)
Rahane
Manish Pandey/Rohit
Ashwin
Jaddu
Shami
Ishant



On pitches that may be slightly flatter, below should be the team.
Dhawan
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahul (W/K)
Rahane
Ashwin
Jaddu
Mishra
Shami
Ishant

The key here is that Saha should not be in the team. He just lengthens the tail. We need a batsman that can score runs when the pitches are flat and post big totals and put scoreboard pressure.

I will say this again. Rahul MUST open.

We cannot have the best batting prospect of India languishing at number 5/6.

 

[DRsohail]

What people are forgetting is that the biggest weak link in Indian team is Saha.

Saha cannot score more than 20 against good bowling attacks. He can score some runs against Lanka, West Indies who have pretty mediocre bowling attacks. But going against England, Aus, NZ and SA, he will be exposed.

I wish Rahul could keep wickets.

This is the team India needs to field on Rank turners. Ashwin and jaddu are enough to gobble up any opposition on turners.

Dhawan
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahul (W/K)
Rahane
Manish Pandey/Rohit
Ashwin
Jaddu
Shami
Ishant



On pitches that may be slightly flatter, below should be the team.
Dhawan
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahul (W/K)
Rahane
Ashwin
Jaddu
Mishra
Shami
Ishant

The key here is that Saha should not be in the team. He just lengthens the tail. We need a batsman that can score runs when the pitches are flat and post big totals and put scoreboard pressure.

but saha is good behind the wickets and u need it in tests....

 

[DRsohail]

it will affect rahul baatting if he keeps wickets.

 

[Adijazz1706]

The James Anderson effect. He was merciless against Kohli.
He is always merciless against SC tourists.

Wasn't that merciless in his home conditions this series, Sohail got 4 more wickets despite playing one Test less.

 

[blue_champion]

For Subcontinent Ashwin is good enough for the star allrounder slot.....Jadeja and Mishra will run through line ups.....We have Ishant,Shami,Umesh probably the best exponents of reverse swing after the English and to some extent the South Africans currently.......a new upgraded Bhuvi with conventional swing.

Opening and middle order is a little fragile but with Rahul being the gem find of the year and SC pitches being SC pitches,I think we are ok.

LOI's I agree we need to strike a better balance...We need Specialist LOI allrounders and no not Binny

 

[street cricketer]

I'm sorry but people should come out of their fantasies. Rahul isn't going to become a wicketkeeper in Tests. He is a genuine top order bat and a quality one at that and no top order bat is going to keep wickets for 100+ overs in Test cricket.

We should either persist with Saha or look for other alternatives.

 

[aroor]

No to Naman Ojah. His wicket keeping skill is meh.

 

[street cricketer]

Wasn't that merciless in his home conditions this series, Sohail got 4 more wickets despite playing one Test less.

He was, in 2010.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Saha is staying guys.

Rahul should open. I think we may be onto someone special. Fingers crossed.

Kick out the hack Dhawan.

Stop over-rating Ashwin as a pure batsman. Maybe he will click. But its also possible he will flop for majority of the innings if there is considerable turn. Too less data to consider him as a pure bat.

Pujara is needed regardless of how much he has regressed. If you want to replace him, get some proper middle order bat in squad.

Useless Rohit should be thrown out. I wish he plays a few tests and scores ducks and gets out. That's the only way to get rid of him.

Jaddu is gun.

3rd spinner is needed.

 

[JattMaula]

Saha is the best keeper batsman in India and he is gonna be very very crucial for us in this season. Mark my words.

 

[rahanefan]

Saha is staying guys.

Rahul should open. I think we may be onto someone special. Fingers crossed.

Kick out the hack Dhawan.

Stop over-rating Ashwin as a pure batsman. Maybe he will click. But its also possible he will flop for majority of the innings if there is considerable turn. Too less data to consider him as a pure bat.

Pujara is needed regardless of how much he has regressed. If you want to replace him, get some proper middle order bat in squad.

Useless Rohit should be thrown out. I wish he plays a few tests and scores ducks and gets out. That's the only way to get rid of him.

Jaddu is gun.

3rd spinner is needed.

Karun nair?

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Karun nair?

Yeah....him and a few others....can be in squad.

 

[jusarrived]

Yeah....him and a few others....can be in squad.

Nair and Pujara are fairly similar , Pujara is really good against spin , but Nair is arguably the best spin player in the country . Against pace Pujara is slightly more compact , Nair has issues against swinging ball .

 

[Justcrazy]

Stick with 5 bowlers plan. India will win more games.

 

[JattMaula]

Nair and Pujara are fairly similar , Pujara is really good against spin , but Nair is arguably the best spin player in the country . Against pace Pujara is slightly more compact , Nair has issues against swinging ball .

Nair fits in Kohli’s "aggressive" test batting strategy. Can switch gears easily.

 

[nish_mate]

Stick with no Rohit strategy, and batting will be fine. Pujara needs to be given an extended run- he will come good.

 

[troodon]

but saha is good behind the wickets and u need it in tests....

That is the dilemma. India does not have a good all rounder. Having 5 bowlers and Saha might work against mediocre sides like Lanka and West Indies. Playing against Aus or SA or Eng will be a disaster when you go with 5 bowlers and Saha.

India needs to find a better keeper batsman or have Rahul Keep wickets and take a chance.

 

[troodon]

I'm sorry but people should come out of their fantasies. Rahul isn't going to become a wicketkeeper in Tests. He is a genuine top order bat and a quality one at that and no top order bat is going to keep wickets for 100+ overs in Test cricket.

We should either persist with Saha or look for other alternatives.

Bhai, at least we can try Rahul in T20's and ODI's sometimes and see how he fares. He was pretty decent from what I saw for RCB in IPL.

Saha will not last against good pace bowlers. You do not want your tail to start at No.6 in Tests against quality opposition.

 

[troodon]

Stick with 5 bowlers plan. India will win more games.

With Saha as Keeper batsman, its suicidal.

 

[street cricketer]

Bhai, at least we can try Rahul in T20's and ODI's sometimes and see how he fares. He was pretty decent from what I saw for RCB in IPL.

Saha will not last against good pace bowlers. You do not want your tail to start at No.6 in Tests against quality opposition.

I understand your concerns against Saha. But Rahul has the potential to become a world class test bat and he has already shown signs of that. Why will you want to give him an extra burden of wicket keeping? Even if Rahul is a fantastic wicket keeper, I don't want him to take the gloves. How many wk batsman have averaged 50+ in international test cricket?

Yes, the perks of having Rahul as a wicket keeper in LOIs is immense. But in test cricket, I don't want to trade his batting for his wicket keeping. We can always include Naman Ojha and Sheldon Jackson in the squad if Saha isn't performing. There is also Srikar Barath who looks a decent prospect for the future.

 

[street cricketer]

Manish Pandey made a run a ball 77 against Australia A in the first innings of the pink ball 4 day match. Was looking very fluent before he nicked one to the keeper after tea and was looking fluent in the 2nd innings as well before bad light stopped play today.

Don't know why he is not in the Test squad and Rohit is..

 

[Nikhil_cric]

The strategy has to be simple in my opinion. Even when we destroyed SA, our wins looked better when we didn't play on rank turners. Just prepare wickets that grip and spin a touch and we can dominate all those teams. However a few things

Dhawan needs to be booted out. He's finished at this level and is a complete hack. Vijay and Rahul should open. If Karun Nair is indeed the best player of spin in this country then we need him in place for Pujara . I'm a fan of Che but he's nowhere near as good as he was 3 years ago . Besides we need a batsman to really go after opposition spinners and right now we don't have any.

Saha must be persisted with. He's probably the best pure keeper going around and he plays crucial knocks with the bat and grits it out when the going gets tough.

We have to play 6 batsmen and Saha. We can't afford to play the extra bowler as our batting lineup looks thin and against a team like England we need to pile on runs and put them under pressure. Vijay bowls some offspin and he should be used as fifth bowler. We need to play only two quicks and two spinners.

Umesh and Shami should play since they can both reverse the ball and that'll be extremely useful to have.

Ash and Jaddu should be our spinners. They both complement each other really well. Mishra might be a liability and can be taken apart as he just doesn't have the zip to consistently trouble top batsmen.

 

[nish_mate]

Keep Saha and build the rest of the team around him.

Good WK's are like gold dust. Good Batsmen to Bharat ke gaali mohalle main mil jaayenge

Same with spinners put in an Ashwin here and Jaddu there and Mishy somewhere, pace we never had, so no big loss and we got a baddash home test team.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Manish Pandey made a run a ball 77 against Australia A in the first innings of the pink ball 4 day match. Was looking very fluent before he nicked one to the keeper after tea and was looking fluent in the 2nd innings as well before bad light stopped play today.

Don't know why he is not in the Test squad and Rohit is..

Talent.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

We also have to remember our 3-0 win against SA came after Steyn got injured.

If he and Philander were playing, it may have been a tight series.

So quite a bit of progress has to be made.

 

[nish_mate]

We also have to remember our 3-0 win against SA came after Steyn got injured.

If he and Philander were playing, it may have been a tight series.

So quite a bit of progress has to be made.

If Ishant had been playing after Lord'14, even that series would have been tight, or Zak in 2011...

No use going about iffs and butts

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

If Ishant had been playing after Lord'14, even that series would have been tight, or Zak in 2011...

No use going about iffs and butts

The post was not about what the outcome of the series would have been. That's ifs and buts.

The post was about our batting lineup which needs to pull its socks up cos final score isn't everything.

 

[nish_mate]

The post was not about what the outcome of the series would have been. That's ifs and buts.

The post was about our batting lineup which needs to pull its socks up cos final score isn't everything.

batting line up needs to bat period, without any iffs and butts

 

[street cricketer]

Murali Vijay
Lokesh Rahul
Virat Kohli (c)
Ajinkya Rahane
Manish Pandey
Wriddhaman Saha (wk)
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravi Jadeja
Amit Mishra
Mohammed Shami
Umesh Yadav

The above line up is probably the strongest squad we can assemble for the test season if we go by the players in current form. Can include Pujara for Jadeja if there is a need to strengthen the batting.

 

[troodon]

Murali Vijay
Lokesh Rahul
Virat Kohli (c)
Ajinkya Rahane
Manish Pandey
Wriddhaman Saha (wk)
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravi Jadeja
Amit Mishra
Mohammed Shami
Umesh Yadav

The above line up is probably the strongest squad we can assemble for the test season if we go by the players in current form. Can include Pujara for Jadeja if there is a need to strengthen the batting.

With that line up, if India are 3 down for 30 runs, then we will get bundled out for less than 200. Very very weak batting lineup.

Lack of proper all rounder and Saha is hurting India from becoming a strong Test team.

 

[street cricketer]

With that line up, if India are 3 down for 30 runs, then we will get bundled out for less than 200. Very very weak batting lineup.

Lack of proper all rounder and Saha is hurting India from becoming a strong Test team.

What about this one buddy!

Murali Vijay
KL Rahul
Cheteshwar Pujara
Virat Kohli (c)
Ajinkya Rahane
Manish Pandey
Naman Ojha (wk)
Ravi Ashwin
Ravi Jadeja
Mohd. Shami
Umesh Yadav

Replace Pandey with Mishra or Bhuvi as the track demands.

 

[JattMaula]

With that line up, if India are 3 down for 30 runs, then we will get bundled out for less than 200. Very very weak batting lineup.

Lack of proper all rounder and Saha is hurting India from becoming a strong Test team.

Kapil was the last true all-rounder we had. Can't do anything about that.

Saha is the best available player. It's just that Dhoni's shoes are little too big to fill.

 

[Ab Fan]

I will take Saha over Naman ojha any day. Saha is limited but mentally strong player unlike Ojha who can screw up many close games.

Saha is 5/10 while Ojha is 4/10.If India can have a 6/10 wkt keeper batsmen then it's alright to play that keeper and Ashwin at 6 and 7 with a very very strong top 5 available fully fit.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Murali Vijay
Lokesh Rahul
Virat Kohli (c)
Ajinkya Rahane
Manish Pandey
Wriddhaman Saha (wk)
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravi Jadeja
Amit Mishra
Mohammed Shami
Umesh Yadav

The above line up is probably the strongest squad we can assemble for the test season if we go by the players in current form. Can include Pujara for Jadeja if there is a need to strengthen the batting.

Extra batsman for Mishy. Rest i agree with.

 

[Chrish]

Pujara shall never be dropped..

 

[battler]

Murali Vijay
Lokesh Rahul
Virat Kohli (c)
Ajinkya Rahane
Manish Pandey
Wriddhaman Saha (wk)
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravi Jadeja
Amit Mishra
Mohammed Shami
Umesh Yadav

The above line up is probably the strongest squad we can assemble for the test season if we go by the players in current form. Can include Pujara for Jadeja if there is a need to strengthen the batting.

No bk?

 

[street cricketer]

No bk?

Ideally you would want 3 spinners in India. The only situation where you cut down on one is when you want to add one more batsman as 3 pacers aren't necessary in India. As for the pacers selection, it's tough actually. But Umesh and Shami average under 23 or 24 in India iirc. And both have the added advantage of reverse swing coming into play on the dry abrasive pitches of India. I think BK has more of a role in overseas wickets which has some assistance to the bowlers.

 

[street cricketer]

A complete collapse by India A today against Aus A. India A got shot out for 155 in their 2nd innings with Jayant Yadav being the top scorer (maybe sif is right, he does look like the next Ashwin type player). Shardul bowled well and was on a hatrick. Aaron was his usual self. Pandya bowled well actually and I think he can play a role as a pace bowling all rounder for India in Tests. He troubled Handscomb and finally snared him. That said, he looks a complete dud with the bat.

 

[street cricketer]

Why is Handscomb not playing for Australia? [MENTION=132373]Convict[/MENTION]

Looked the best player in the game.

 

[Convict]

Why is Handscomb not playing for Australia? [MENTION=132373]Convict[/MENTION]

Looked the best player in the game.

Handscomb is someone I want playing for Australia very soon.

Definitely for the Indian tour which in my mind means he should play the home tests.

 

[Afghankhan420]

Manish Pandey should selected in place of Rohit Sharma, whose Fate hang on his performance on,on-going Duleep trophy Final.many people not Aggre with me but its true, selectors right there at greater Noida to monitor progress of Amit mishra,Dhawan,Jadeja and Rohit.

Last week pujara secured his number 3 spot for next 9 to 13 tests in India, with fine 166.i do not think India Need 3 seamer for kanpur test.

 

[Afghankhan420]

India A still have chance to win because all important player dismissed for 59 runs and 100 still need on day 4.
Cameron Bancroft stands firm with 16 not out in 79 ball but Pandya and Aruns spell will be key tomorrow.

 

[Afghankhan420]

Street cricketer,
My friend I noticed your team without Pujara ji creates more problem for India.Did you remember India 126 for 5 recently when kohli ji batted at 3, who is completely failure at number 3 in test.

Kohli should bats at 4 vs BOULT plus.Pujara has ability to removes shines of ball, he can bats much more longer at 3 than failure Kohli.i witness kohlis first 6 test after his début in westindies and England, his highest score was 30 in 9 innings even he bats at 5.india includes both CP and Vijay at Sabina park but game wash out .

India need CP in India in next 13 test.

 

[Afghankhan420]

You mean Bhuvi?
No way, India not need him in india

 

[Afghankhan420]

Pandey will be in the Indian team.Recently Chris TREMAIN performing wonderfully vs SA A and ind.A, he get selected in Australia's ODI team for southafrica but presently Australia not need batsman so Peter HandSCOMB,Patterson , knocking test door has to wait

Australia has so good talented player, most of time Khawaja/Finch and Shaun need to wait to even selects in the team in Australia in ODI.

 

[street cricketer]

Street cricketer,
My friend I noticed your team without Pujara ji creates more problem for India.Did you remember India 126 for 5 recently when kohli ji batted at 3, who is completely failure at number 3 in test.

Kohli should bats at 4 vs BOULT plus.Pujara has ability to removes shines of ball, he can bats much more longer at 3 than failure Kohli.i witness kohlis first 6 test after his début in westindies and England, his highest score was 30 in 9 innings even he bats at 5.india includes both CP and Vijay at Sabina park but game wash out .

India need CP in India in next 13 test.

Pujara has been in very scratchy form in international cricket off late bhai. Kohli is not a no.3 in Test cricket and I agree with you 100% on that. Yes I saw the highlights of Pujara's 160 in the Duleep trophy, it was chanceless but the problem with him is that he has been inconsistent. He started his career with a bang and had a successful tour of South Africa where he made a ton against Steyn and Philander on day 1. But since then it has been all downhill for him. I think he is short of confidence at the moment and it is showing in his innings. Previously he used to start cautiously but pick up pace later on. But nowadays he just goes into a shell after coming on to bat.

That said, he is a far better test batsman than Rohit Sharma and I will prefer him over Rohit anyday. In fact, I would love both Vijay and Pujara to play and Manish Pandey get included ahead of Rohit in the squad. But that is not happening and Rohit Sharma will get a long rope.

But Pujara is a very good player and I think the reason for his poor form is because he plays under a lot of stress. Kohli and Rahane's places are fixed in the team but Pujara is under the constant threat of getting replaced by Rohit whenever he fails and I do get the feeling that Kohli favours Rohit over Pujara because he thinks Pujara plays defensive cricket. I think Pujara will be back to his best if he is given a consistent run and he is not put under pressure of getting replaced by Rohit at the first instance of failure. A free flowing Pujara is a wall and also one who makes big scores like you saw in the Duleep trophy.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Rohit Sharma has to play tests for India and fail to be removed from squad.

Accept it fans. There is no other alternative.

If he clicks in a few games, then just curse your bad luck.

 

[Sandeep]

Pujara and Rohit are currently batting for India Blue in a straight batting shootout.. Once can clearly see why Pujara is a test player and Rohit is not -- the choice of shots. Pujara will get out only when he gets a good ball. Rohit can get out on any ball because no one, not even him can predict what shot he's going to play...

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Just like Sandeep ji predicted

Mishra to RG Sharma, OUT, That's an impatient shot, and Rohit is gone. He wants to go over the top for the second time in three overs and holes out to his India team-mate Dhawan. Good length legbreak outside off, Rohit swipes it against the turn and gets a top edge. Dhawan gets under it at cover
RG Sharma c Dhawan b Mishra 30 (57b 4x4 0x6) SR: 52.63

Kohli you DUMBASS.

How can you be such an awesome test captain and be deluded at the same time?

And Gavaskar, Majrekar - I have no words to say really.

Just hope old school Kumble guides Kohli properly unless he too is an "et tu brute".

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Mishy boy continuing his woeful form.

 

[Sandeep]

Just like Sandeep ji predicted



Kohli you DUMBASS.

How can you be such an awesome test captain and be deluded at the same time?

And Gavaskar, Majrekar - I have no words to say really.

Just hope old school Kumble guides Kohli properly unless he too is an "et tu brute".

See... Rohit

I'm really happy that Pujara is finding his groove again. Confidence is showing in his defense and scoring shots. Footwork also starting to look more solid.. let's hope he has passed that phase once and for all

 

[Sandeep]

Meanwhile Karthik also doesn't want to miss out.. oh man when was the last time we had such a huge competition for spots in the test side!?

Here are some contenders -

1,2 - Vijay, Rahul, Dhawan, Mukund, Mayank, Gambhir (!!)
3,4,5 - Pujara, Kohli, Rahane, Rohit, Pandey, Iyer, Kartik
6 (WK) - Saha, Ojha, Sheldon (!!)

My ideal team for NZ test series -

Vijay, Rahul
Pujara, Kohli, Rahane
Sheldon (this guy is one of the most solid wicket keeper batsmen I've seen in domestic!)
.. bowlers..

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

See... Rohit

I'm really happy that Pujara is finding his groove again. Confidence is showing in his defense and scoring shots. Footwork also starting to look more solid.. let's hope he has passed that phase once and for all

If we get back 2012-13 Pujara, our batting would be amazing.

Peak Pujara is the best player of spin in the world (alongside Younis).

[MENTION=1697]jusarrived[/MENTION] - Do you think we can ever get back the old Pujara? Do you rate him?

 

[Sandeep]

If we get back 2012-13 Pujara, our batting would be amazing.

Peak Pujara is the best player of spin in the world (alongside Younis).

[MENTION=1697]jusarrived[/MENTION] - Do you think we can ever get back the old Pujara? Do you rate him?

Kuldeep was making Rohit look like a fool with some of his deliveries.. Pujara was playing him like a boss without breaking a sweat.. easily one of the best players of spin..

 

[street cricketer]

Hands up who want Kuldeep ahead of Mishra!

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Kuldeep was making Rohit look like a fool with some of his deliveries.. Pujara was playing him like a boss without breaking a sweat.. easily one of the best players of spin..

Pujara in zone is supremely most impactful test bat.

Makes you feel hopeless like Dravid and Kallis but with a small difference.

Once set, he starts scoring much faster and imposes himself better.

Still can't forget his masterful chase on a rank turner against Aus in Delhi.

Incredible knock really. Scored 82 at 90 SR chasing 158 with the ball spitting like hell.

ATG knock.

If Sachin or Lara had played that, it would have got 1000X more hype. Haha.

Also his Mumbai century against Swann and Panesar in full flow. English fans were like "this guy scored 200+* and now 100 on a rank turner....let's get the other batsmen out".

lol.

 

[Sandeep]

Hands up who want Kuldeep ahead of Mishra!

More time on his side, more potential and looks to have the much needed knack of breaking partnerships. Count me in!