ICC Cricket World Cup - May/July 2019

[Bevab]

Looks like Mayank is only going to come later this week, and wont be available for the Bangladesh game (atleast). Might not even be available for the Sri Lanka game.

EDIT: Scratch the above info. Looks like he will be joining the squad by Monday evening UK time according to Times Of India


Mayank is a good choice, and should definitely play as an opener if he is indeed given a go. Rahul seems incapable of giving even a moderately quick start and just seems to hang in there by a thread as an opener. I wonder what Rayudu feels about this selection though He was vocally called out as the backup for Shankar

He’s busy binning those 3D glasses as we speak.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

I have nothing against Mayank, in fact I rate him and think he's quality but I feel for Rayudu. I am also not a fan of thrusting debutants into national squads in global tournaments. All I can say is, India are definitely worried about their batting line up and Dhawan's loss has well and truly rattled them.

 

[Bevab]

Here’s my thoughts on Mayank’s selection:

• Couldn’t be more happier for the man himself, he has toiled and dominated in domestic cricket for years successfully. To hold a few years of relative underperformance in a T20 league against him as proof of being unable to handle quality bowling attacks is extremely unfair.
• To those doubting his ability to come in without much experience and play well straight away, let me remind you of the way he flew in the middle of the Australia tour last year to replace one half of the worst opening pair in test history and scored a fifty right away like he had been playing on those pitches for a year. Had it not been for a soft dismissal, he would have scored a century easily that day. This lad can handle pressure well enough if backed properly.
• Tactically, Mayank is a much better partner for Rohit compared to Rahul who has somehow flattered to deceive in ODIs on most occasions. Mayank is a dashing opener who likes scoring via boundaries. This would allow Rohit to take his time settling in and catching up later. He’s as close to a true replacement for Dhawan that you could get at present.
• The only other opening batsman you could get in as a replacement would be Rahane who has been in decent form on the county circuit, but he’s even slower than Rahul and would add nothing of value to the side.
• This could also allow Rahul to move back to 4, where he looked a lot more comfortable getting his initial runs by rotating the strike quickly rather than boundaries. And guess who else likes to play in a similar fashion and also happens to be the best ODI batsman in the world?
• This would also allow the management to play Dhoni at 5, which they think is his best position for some reason.
• And finally, this means that Jadhav no longer needs to play. I like Jadhav, but he looks extremely out of form being unable to middle anything and isn’t really the slogger you would want at 6 as that isn’t his game. On the other hand, Pant looked promising versus England and has got loads of potential to be the X-factor in this lineup. He would be the number 6.
• This also allows us the flexibility of demoting Dhoni if one of our top 3 makes a big score and we need a quick slogger to score runs in the death overs phase.

So, this would be my lineup for the next game:

Rohit
Mayank
Kohli
Rahul
Dhoni
Pant
Pandya
Chahal/Jadeja (personally prefer Chahal, but I do think it’s time Jadeja gets a game if the pitch can offer him some assistance)
Kuldeep (he has shown some promise with the bat in first class cricket and has described himself as an all-rounder. He needs to bat before Shami and Chahal (if he plays))
Shami
Bumrah

I’m fairly confident of not needing the sixth bowler with the way Pandya’s been bowling. The way he adapted to the conditions of the previous game gives me hope that he can be a serviceable option on most occasions.

Shami did leak runs during the death overs phase, but Bhuvi himself tends to concede a lot of runs when he’s put under pressure quite easily. I don’t believe that he’s a significantly better option than Shami at the death. Also, most teams have started to play out Bumrah and not take risks versus him, which means that we need another pacer besides him to bowl aggressively and take wickets. For all of his merits, Bhuvi isn’t really a strike bowler unless there’s lots of swing on offer. Another economical pace bowler thus becomes unnecessary and this is where Shami is one of the best options in the world. You don’t drop players like Starc or Shami because they tend to often concede runs with wayward lines and length, you back them to produce those match winning bowling efforts that they are capable of.

 

[Aalay]

Has Mayank ever played a LODI? This is really weird selection.

What is LODI? Mayank has toiled hard in domestic cricket and deserves his chance. I feel bad for Raydu as well but in the article I read on Cricinfo, team management has specifically asked for an opener and not a middle order batsman and therefore, the selectors have gone with Mayank.

 

[Bevab]

What is LODI? Mayank has toiled hard in domestic cricket and deserves his chance. I feel bad for Raydu as well but in the article I read on Cricinfo, team management has specifically asked for an opener and not a middle order batsman and therefore, the selectors have gone with Mayank.

If they did ask for an opener specifically, fair play to them. They’re smart enough to recognize the weaknesses in this squad and have acted accordingly. If only they had applied the same logic with a certain legendary wicketkeeper... but I guess that is an entirely different story.

 

[abhi_jacko]

I have nothing against Mayank, in fact I rate him and think he's quality but I feel for Rayudu. I am also not a fan of thrusting debutants into national squads in global tournaments. All I can say is, India are definitely worried about their batting line up and Dhawan's loss has well and truly rattled them.

Well, if there is a need for an opener (Which I think there is, considering Rahul's indifferent form), then nothing wrong in drafting in a debutante in a global tournament. Pant himself is as good as a debutante, with 5 matches before the one against England. Jofra Archer had player 3 matches before his world cup debut. I am sure there are many such instances.

India should definitely be a bit worried about the batting line up with their last 3 performances - and its amazing, because we won 2 out of the 3 games and lost the other one by just 30 runs while chasing 330+ target. But we have gotten used to a team which has been better than most international teams and the issues should be addressed sooner rather than later.

 

[abhi_jacko]

Rohit
Mayank
Kohli
Rahul
Dhoni
Pant
Pandya

That really looks like a solid top 7. It would be nice if we indeed play this lineup against BD. The kind of wickets that have been dished out so far, Mayank should ideally be able to acclimatize quickly

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

Nothing to panic at all, its just one game loss we have seen. Yes there was 0 intent from Kedar Jadhav and MS tried really hard but he isnt the same MS and we all know it. The lineup should be as follow for the next two matches

1. Rohit Sharma
2. Mayank Agarwal/Rishabh Pant(If Mayank is not in)
3. Virat Kohli
4. MS Dhoni
5. Rishabh Pant
6. KL Rahul/Dinesh Kartick
7. Hardik Pandya
8. Yuzi
9. Kuldeep
10. Shami
11. Bumrah

 

[Aalay]

If they did ask for an opener specifically, fair play to them. They’re smart enough to recognize the weaknesses in this squad and have acted accordingly. If only they had applied the same logic with a certain legendary wicketkeeper... but I guess that is an entirely different story.

It also can be a cover for Rahul who was off the field for most of the inning in that England game.

P.S Just found this tweet from Waqar Younis. I have to say how pathetic this looks coming from a legend of Pakistan cricket. This Indian team is the most professional cricket team that has been assembled in Indian cricket history. There is a reason why we have such a good record in ICC tournaments in this decade and that is because this team actually cares about winning. They go out there and try to win every single match but that's not always possible. You will have off days and you will lose some games. I rather take a loss like this in group stage games than in a semi final or final.

Pakistan fans need to realize that their team has lost 3 matches against WI, Aus and India. That is the reason they are in this position right now, not because of India.

 

[abhi_jacko]

We haven't talked about bangladesh or Pakistan here, Indian fans are themselves giving explanations. They should not but I expect them to ask question about the bad and boring display of batting provided by India but they wont since they are virtually qualified.

No one is giving explanations here to anyone. We are having a discussion on Dhoni's approach, thats all.

And you only need to look up to Pakistani legends on social media with their insane theories on why there was alleged lack of intent

 

[abhi_jacko]

P.S Just found this tweet from Waqar Younis. I have to say how pathetic this looks coming from a legend of Pakistan cricket.

It is absolutely pathetic. You expect fans on social media to act like lunatics, to turn their "support for Indian team" into entitled haters squealing that it was fixed. but when mature cricketers start spewing such non sense, one can only cringe at their mentality.

 

[Aalay]

@SaiSrini

I want to ask both of you since you guys are so worried about batting depth- What impact has Kedar Jadhav or Vijay Shankar had from the CT to now.

I am going to only talk about Kedar here because a lot of people underestimate him and the role he plays in this team. Kedar didn't get a chance to bat against South Africa. He didn't face a ball against Australia. He came in against Pakistan and was not out on 9 runs. He came in against Afghanistan when India were 135 for 4 in in 30th over and scored 52 runs when his team actually needed him. Dhoni and Kedar actually gave us a total that we could defend on that surface against Afghanistan. Yes, he didn't do well against WI but that happens because he normally doesn't get to bat as many over as he had in that WI match. So his role suddenly changes from being the aggressor to playing an anchor inning. Sometimes we expect too much from players but we have to remember that they can have an off day. Sometimes, it gets difficult for them to adapt to a different role that they are not used to. When Kedar came in yesterday, we practically had no chance of winning that game because of how England were bowling and i guess he was the conveyed the message by Dhoni that we just need to cut down on the losing margin as much as possible so it doesn't affect our NRR.

I still feel Dhoni, Kedar and Hardik must play all the games and they are the ideal finishers for India if top order sets up a good base for them. We need someone in the team who has a good game awareness in those death overs and can play those unorthodox shots. In this team apart from Kedar (we have Pant now) no one plays those shots.

 

[Bevab]

I am going to only talk about Kedar here because a lot of people underestimate him and the role he plays in this team. Kedar didn't get a chance to bat against South Africa. He didn't face a ball against Australia. He came in against Pakistan and was not out on 9 runs. He came in against Afghanistan when India were 135 for 4 in in 30th over and scored 52 runs when his team actually needed him. Dhoni and Kedar actually gave us a total that we could defend on that surface against Afghanistan. Yes, he didn't do well against WI but that happens because he normally doesn't get to bat as many over as he had in that WI match. So his role suddenly changes from being the aggressor to playing an anchor inning. Sometimes we expect too much from players but we have to remember that they can have an off day. Sometimes, it gets difficult for them to adapt to a different role that they are not used to. When Kedar came in yesterday, we practically had no chance of winning that game because of how England were bowling and i guess he was the conveyed the message by Dhoni that we just need to cut down on the losing margin as much as possible so it doesn't affect our NRR.

I still feel Dhoni, Kedar and Hardik must play all the games and they are the ideal finishers for India if top order sets up a good base for them. We need someone in the team who has a good game awareness in those death overs and can play those unorthodox shots. In this team apart from Kedar (we have Pant now) no one plays those shots.

I agree with Jadhav being heavily underrated, he has the third highest strike rate for a middle order batsman in the last ten overs over the last four years for a reason, more than 10 above Dhoni. But I simply believe Jadhav can bat a lot better than what he is doing right now and that he’s woefully out of form. Jadhav’s the type of batsman who is busy and proactive at the crease with his shots.

I would definitely ‘rest’ aka drop him for a game or two in order for him to recover his mojo back. He also needs to realise that he’s playing as a pure batsman in this team. We would be trying out another option with lots of potential in Pant who can also be unorthodox with the power to slog and if he fails, we would still have a hopefully rejuvenated Jadhav to fall back on. I also believe that he’s not the best fit at 6 as he isn’t really going to smash the ball around the park but Carey has been wonderful so far without relying on pure muscle so there is merit to the argument of having a player like him there like you’ve mentioned.

 

[Bevab]

I really hope that Avishka doesn’t end up being dropped and recycled through like so many of the recent Lankan talents. He’s got real potential and should be the cornerstone of their ODI batting lineup in the years to come.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Waqar Younis

P.S- It seems that he's not the only one. There are quite a few.

What a bunch of fools!