England In India - October 2011/12

[s2sschan]

Irfan Pathan

What's happened to Irfan Pathan btw? Is he injured?

He's fine and dandy. Got $1.9 Million for IPL 4.

Whenever India loses badly abroad, Indian fans ask "Why's Irfan Pathan not here"? just like a decade or so ago they used to ask "Why's Sanjay Manjrekar not here?".

 

[ferg512]

I'm really happy Onions is in the squad (or as backup) kind of hoping he gets a game, hes probably my favourite english player and Anderson could probably do with a bit of a rest.

 

[SaiSrini]

Will India try out RP Singh for Sreesanth at Oval? It should happen coz Sreesanth has lost it after one decent display in that first innings at Trent Bridge. No matter what one shouts about Sreesanth being potent and all, he is a waste of time being carried about in the team and Dhoni is right in trying to ignore Sreesanth as much as possible. Also Ojha should replace Mishra. Maybe they can try Virat Kohli in place of Raina or have Mukund in the middle order for Raina.

 

[Aalay]

Will India try out RP Singh for Sreesanth at Oval? It should happen coz Sreesanth has lost it after one decent display in that first innings at Trent Bridge. No matter what one shouts about Sreesanth being potent and all, he is a waste of time being carried about in the team and Dhoni is right in trying to ignore Sreesanth as much as possible. Also Ojha should replace Mishra. Maybe they can try Virat Kohli in place of Raina or have Mukund in the middle order for Raina.

I am pretty sure RP Singh will replace Sreesanth in the final test. As I said earlier, would have like to see him in 3rd test,too but oh well. And Raina is most likely to keep is place I think even though his problems with short stuff.

 

[macintosh]

What's happened to Irfan Pathan btw? Is he injured?

He is fitter than RP Singh right now
And he got his rhythm and swing bacK towards the end of IPL.
He has more experience and succesful than RP Singh but still RP Singh gets a chance even though he has not played FC cricket since last 6 months and has not bowled that well in the domestic matches.

Whenever India loses badly abroad, Indian fans ask "Why's Irfan Pathan not here"? just like a decade or so ago they used to ask "Why's Sanjay Manjrekar not here?".

Irfan Pathan can swing the ball and has a lot of variations, is also handy with the bat, Experts and fans have always asked about Irfan because is a proven player at the international level and our bowling lineup has never looked good. He should get a chance as soon as possible.

 

[cricket_icon]

So Onions is in the squad? I would have preferred Finn but Onions is a decent enough bowler. Will be good to see how far he has progressed since we last saw him in international cricket. I have not seen any magic from him in the county scene thus far. I do hope Anderson is fit for the final game and can up his wickets tally even more.
People keep talking about Irfan Pathan as if he would have made a difference but there was a reason he was dropped. His pace fell away dramatically and he had, at best, 2 good series', one against Pakistan and the other against SA if I remember correctly.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Even RP Singh is getting a chance even though he has not played FC cricket since last 6 months. So why can't Irfan get a look in?

RP Singh's selection is bizarre. He looked better than Irfan in the IPL...but not by much. Guess they went with him cause he's faster and did well in England last time. Still bizarre.

 

[Owzat]

No change to the squad, no great surprise (missed opportunity perhaps) Looks like Bopara will get another lifeline thanks to Trott not recovering.

Still the Indians must show some grit and resolve if they want to avoid a whitewash, won't be as emphatic as a 5-0 but I don't believe I was following cricket back when we last played them in more than 3-4 Test series.

I will be interested in light of Flower targetting 2015 World Cup what the ODI squad is like. As uninspiring as usual I suspect, even if we make most of home advantage will it prove us capable of winning it.............?

 

[Addy]

According to him, he is the number one Spinner
I am the No. 1 spinner : Harbhajan Singh - Criclounge.com

 

[karan316]

RP Singh's selection is bizarre. He looked better than Irfan in the IPL...but not by much. Guess they went with him cause he's faster and did well in England last time. Still bizarre.

Must be because of his pace and his experience in the English conditions, because Irfan looked much better than RP Singh in the IPL though Irfan was looking a bit rusty in his initial few games, RP Singh played most of his matches on Nehru Stadium in Kochi which assists fast bowlers, Even Ishant Sharma has taken 5 wickets in 3 overs over ther so I don't think RP did a decent job in the IPL.

And i would want you to tell me your point of view over Yusuf, weren't the points i made good enough about the number 7 position?

 

[pcfan123]

According to him, he is the number one Spinner
I am the No. 1 spinner : Harbhajan Singh - Criclounge.com

God that article was poorly written.

 

[SaiSrini]

According to him, he is the number one Spinner
I am the No. 1 spinner : Harbhajan Singh - Criclounge.com

Ha ha... He is about to be dropped from the team soon for tests and ODI's. And he is the No.1 spinner?

 

[macintosh]

According to him, he is the number one Spinner

What? Harbhajan is a spinner? i thought he bowls part time medium pace

----------

Top five jokes of 2011

1. Harbhajan is a bowler,

2. Harbhajan can spin the ball,

3. Harbhajan has a lot of variations,

4. Harbhajan is in the team for his performance,

5. Harbhajan creates no controversy.

 

[MUFC1987]

111 Eng Lions v Sri Lanka A Northampton 16 Aug 2011 List A
10 Eng Lions v Sri Lanka A Worcester 14 Aug 2011 List A
106 Eng Lions v Sri Lanka A Worcester 12 Aug 2011 List A
22 Leics v Kent Leicester 6 Aug 2011 Twenty20
76, 98 Eng Lions v Sri Lanka A Scarborough 2 Aug 2011 First-class
72 Leics v Hampshire Southampton 31 Jul 2011 List A
19, 0 Leics v Essex Southend-on-Sea 27 Jul 2011 First-class
168*, 41 Leics v Sri Lanka A Leicester 20 Jul 2011 First-class

That is some form to have when the selectors are watching you intensely.

Just as a question, if Bopara drops down to the Second Eleven and starts scoring centuries, will he deserve his place then?

 

[ZoraxDoom]

And i would want you to tell me your point of view over Yusuf, weren't the points i made good enough about the number 7 position?

Nope because Yusuf isn't good enough to bat in the Top 6. Number 7 is ideal for him. Not for Raina, Kaif, Karthik, Uthappa who were proper batsmen used to the top order, but Yusuf was a middle order bat who clearly wasn't good enough for that position internationally, but definitely lower order hitting material. But when he wasn't getting enough deliveries to face in the WC, and wasn't making the most of what he got, and his bowling wasn't clicking, he deserved to be drop. Raina added more in the field and bowled just as well, and as it turned out was vital in runchases.