Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia) Dec-Jan 2011/12

[Sedition]

Your tears sustain me lickr

and btw, what has the supposed #2 team done to deserve that ranking? Getting whitewashed in England and Australia? The rankings consider both home and away right?

 

[Atharv]

Anybody think it would be a bold and good move to promote Virat Kohli as the captain in test matches? I still gnaw my teeth seeing Kohli mouth expletives on the field, but right now we need a Ganguly type captain who is in your face and who doesnt mind getting under the opposition's skin. I dont want Sehwag as captain and certainly not Dhoni to continue. Either Gambhir or Kohli should be made India's next test captain. When Graeme Smith was made captain, he was very young and it was a surprise but he led South Africa very well at the start of his captaincy. Similarly if Kohli can reprise that, India would find their bearings back.

Zaheer Khan as skipper with Virat Kohli as his deputy might be a decent combination.

 

[swacker]

Utterly unfortunate at the moment away from home for the past 12 months. Can barely score 300, heads drop straightaway after a bad session and basically every promising situation they've gathered, up in the last 12 months against someone decent they've passed up.

They just don't have the paunch for it. Dhoni is a worth cricketer but is a little lost at the moment in test cricket, he's too inert as a captain. He needs a new set of young players to mould into a unit. Sit down, make a plan, be ruthless and at least install some fight into the squad.

 

[aditya123]

It's nice to have platitudes, but the reality is that winning 2-0 at home doesn't actually equate to getting beaten 4-0 away. Even among Pakistan and Sri Lanka, India's touring form has been astonishing. Poor tourists are certainly pandemic, but to greatly varying degrees.

Yes, we have been pathetic in our previous two tours overseas but prior to that we have been far more superior to SL and PAK in terms of overseas performances. From 2001 to 2010, we won a test series in Eng (2007), WI (2006/2011) and NZ(2009) , drew a test series each in SA(2010/11), ENG(2002) and AUS(2003/4). Apart from that we had very close series losses in AUS (2-1), SA(2-1). This is what earned respect for this Indian side over the past decade. In fact, our overseas record was second only to Australia for a while in terms of win/loss percentages.

SL and PAK on the other hand have both lost their last test series in WI/NZ and have`nt won a single test match in Australia for a while. India, apart from these two horrendous tours have fared very respectably overseas and the reason primarily being the Big 4 and Zaheer Khan. This is what disappoints fans like me so much, not the scoreline but the abject surrender by a bunch of cricketers who had done so much to earn that respect overseas.

Its not that there have`nt been moments in these 2 tours either. Moments which in the past few years, we would have clinched to make series changing moves. For example, at Nottingham, we had ENG at 100/8 and then allowed them to escape to 220-odd. In reply, we were a solid 264/4 before collapsing dramatically to 272 a.o. Bad captaincy and horrible overseas batting by MSD is one major reason for letting go such instances. At Nottingham, Dhoni had a set Dravid at the other end and only had to play out the new ball, he threw away his wicket to a rash stroke. At the MCG, with Australia on the mat twice, 200/6 in the first innings and at two different occasions, 27/4 and 180/9, Dhoni spread the field instead of attacking. He followed it up with much of the same at the SCG when Australia were 37/3. There were moments which India would have siezed in the past but for some inexplicable reason, have`nt done so here.

 

[Paki007]

Zaheer Khan as skipper

Actually that will be worst decision he hardly stays fit round the year

 

[Aalay]

SLICKR392, what right do you think you have to be cocky right now?

He has every right to be cocky against a cocky person.

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Zaheer Khan as skipper with Virat Kohli as his deputy might be a decent combination.

No. Zaheer does not have much crickety left in him. i feel like one more injury and he is gone. So I would give it to a young player who is calm and can handle the pressure situation well. For that I think Ashwin is the only person in current team but it is very hard to make Ashwin a captain.

 

[Atharv]

Actually that will be worst decision he hardly stays fit round the year

If Zak is unfit it will give Kohli a good chance to "practice" being a captain without taking too much responsibity .
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No. Zaheer does not have much crickety left in him. i feel like one more injury and he is gone. So I would give it to a young player who is calm and can handle the pressure situation well. For that I think Ashwin is the only person in current team but it is very hard to make Ashwin a captain.

That is one of the reason why I suggested Zak's name . He would be gone in 3-4 years and it would be right time for Kohli to take over as skipper .

 

[SLICKR392]

No. Zaheer does not have much crickety left in him. i feel like one more injury and he is gone. So I would give it to a young player who is calm and can handle the pressure situation well. For that I think Ashwin is the only person in current team but it is very hard to make Ashwin a captain.

I don't think Ashwin would be a good replacement for MSD. He would turn out to be a very weak captain for such a team. Gambhir would be the best replacement for MSD IMHO.
Has India lost any match under Gauti's captaincy?

 

[SaiSrini]

Yes, we have been pathetic in our previous two tours overseas but prior to that we have been far more superior to SL and PAK in terms of overseas performances. From 2001 to 2010, we won a test series in Eng (2007), WI (2006/2011) and NZ(2009) , drew a test series each in SA(2010/11), ENG(2002) and AUS(2003/4). Apart from that we had very close series losses in AUS (2-1), SA(2-1). This is what earned respect for this Indian side over the past decade. In fact, our overseas record was second only to Australia for a while in terms of win/loss percentages.

Adi - was waiting for your comments. What do you think should change in our Indian test setup for us to bounce back and bring our overseas improvement back on track?

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I don't think Ashwin would be a good replacement for MSD. He would turn out to be a very weak captain for such a team. Gambhir would be the best replacement for MSD IMHO.
Has India lost any match under Gauti's captaincy?

Ashwin as captain? No friggin' way. He is too passive to be a captain. I dont see an aggressive streak in him to be captain. Dhoni has an aggressive streak in him which he has now kept locked in because he thinks thats not the way to go.

 

[SLICKR392]

Adi - was waiting for your comments. What do you think should change in our Indian test setup for us to bounce back and bring our overseas improvement back on track?

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Ashwin as captain? No friggin' way. He is too passive to be a captain. I dont see an aggressive streak in him to be captain. Dhoni has an aggressive streak in him which he has now kept locked in because he thinks thats not the way to go.

MSD used to be aggressive in the first 2-3 years. Now his behind the stumps with an "I don't care" expression.

 

[Paki007]

If Zak is unfit it will give Kohli a good chance to "practice" being a captain without taking too much responsibity

Yeah keep changing the captain after every three months like PCB used to do in recent times

 

[aditya123]

Adi - was waiting for your comments. What do you think should change in our Indian test setup for us to bounce back and bring our overseas improvement back on track?

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Ashwin as captain? No friggin' way. He is too passive to be a captain. I dont see an aggressive streak in him to be captain. Dhoni has an aggressive streak in him which he has now kept locked in because he thinks thats not the way to go.

I don`t know. Firstly, Dhoni has to go as a test captain. He is`nt a certainty in the test side by a long way. There have been situations in the last 2 series where he could have stemmed the rot and got India into a commanding position (MCG, Nottingham) or a position where we could have put up a fight (SCG 2nd innings or Perth) but he failed to even steady the ship on those occasions. His captaincy has left a lot to be desired.

While the questions have been asked only to the big 3, there has been a lot wrong around them. Dravid and Tendulkar were looking in fine touch during the MCG first innings and from there on why and how things went south I cannot pinpoint. Lack of ability? I don`t think so. Yes, the seniors have to be phased out but its very easy to overreact.

Dravid, many would think is being criticized unfairly but the manner in which he got out is what is troubling me the most. Tendulkar has been in fine batting form as we saw at the start of the summer. He was timing them as well as he has ever done. Again, 100th 100 or otherwise, he has been getting out at the wrong times.

VVS, a fine servant that he has been deserves a better send off but he has to be the first to make way for Rohit Sharma, maybe when Australia and England hit our shores later this year.

The bowling, many would think has been poor but I can see all the makings of a good bowling unit. Zaheer has lasted the entire series and bowled long spells and that augurs well. He will only get better in the future series and I hope he does not overburden himself during the IPL. Yadav has been a revelation and Ashwin has looked far better than Harby has ever done overseas, even on his first outing. Ishant must have a rethink and learn to bowl fuller or he`ll keep getting `unlucky`. Varun Aaron must be groomed while Zak is around and Sharma should get a county stint if possible to get him bowling fuller lengths.Praveen and Sree would be the other seam bowling backups. Our fast bowling resources look quite healthy in a sense. WE just have to stick to these options without looking at mediocre options like Vinay Kumar in test cricket.

The biggest irritation in this series was Dhoni`s reluctance to change, not the lineup but at least his strategies. Melbourne, second innings chasing 293 was on and he could have sent in someone like Kohli or VVS at No.3 to throw caution to the wind rather than Dravid. Even when Dravid was struggling, he kept sending him in at No.3 at Sydney and Perth. Stupidly stubborn.

 

[angryangy]

India can't very well pick a new captain until they establish something resembling a new team, complete with long term captaincy options. Otherwise, it's just shuffling around porfolios like a desperate government trying to appear to be doing something.

 

[aayush93]

Dhoni today said in interview that he has no say in Indian selection process and i agree with him just because No captain will play with same batting unit for 4 Consecutive Tests matches which failed throughout the tour.

 

[Ahad]

SL and PAK on the other hand have both lost their last test series in WI/NZ and have`nt won a single test match in Australia for a while. India, apart from these two horrendous tours have fared very respectably overseas and the reason primarily being the Big 4 and Zaheer Khan. This is what disappoints fans like me so much, not the scoreline but the abject surrender by a bunch of cricketers who had done so much to earn that respect overseas.

Since 2001 Pakistan played 2 Test series in West Indies and 3 in New Zealand out of which Pakistan haven't lost any series.