India in Australia

[sjdigitall]

Hey not that long till the series starts . Heres my playing 11

Dravid
Jaffer
Tendulkar
Laxman
Ganguly
Yuvraj
Dhoni
Pathan/RP Singh
Kumble
Harbhajan
Khan

Now i believe the real dilemma here is going to be whether to pick RP Singh or Pathan because i really do think India will go with 2 spinners in this match, personally i would love to see Pathan play because of the added batting strength but RP Singh will most likely get the nod due to his realli good performances this year.

And i know its weird but i would like to see Tendulkar coming in at number 3 and Laxman at 4. I know Laxman is a real good performer against the aussies but i just believe he will bat better at number 4. And Yuvraj at number 6 with Dhoni is an important move as they usually have good partnerships and understand each other well.

And now for what to do if we win the toss. I believe we will definetly have to bat first if we win the toss. If what im hearing about the MCG pitch is true than spin will be there in the latter innings.

I reallly did want to put in a 5th bowler in that team but i just cannot deny Yuvraj that spot over what he has done this year. Pathan i believe is crucial in this series, his bowling and batting will need to fire and i know some people on this forum dont think he shud be in the XI but he can perform.

Only 19 or so hours left. Heres hoping for a good competitive series.

 

[SciD]

Cant Wait for the match anymore. Heres my India XI in batting order

Jaffer
Kartick
Dravid
Tendulkar
Ganguly
Laxman
Yuvraj
Pathan
Kumble
RP Singh
Pankaj Singh


Zak is not fully recovered so why risk him in the test that we are most likely to loose or at best come out with draw if weather plays its part.
Ishant Sharma does not have control and you do not want Aussie batsmen to be playing in 5th gear when they are always playing in 4th gear.
RP Singh is the best bowler we have right now in terms of ability with ball. Pathan is not that bad which everyone thinks he is. He was bowling consistently at 135ks in Bangalore test and if he can keep the aussie batsmen quite then mistakes will flow automatically.
No place for Dhoni because I want the engine of our batting order to be safe from new ball. Yuvraj can make more runs than what Dhoni would have made at number 7. I would rather keep Dhoni out but not Yuvraj.

 

[sohum]

And had a better FC average than 39.16 this season.

Indian spinners get torn apart domestically. I would look at how many wickets he got rather than his average. Sadly, that doesn't help his case either. Mumbai has just been out of sorts this season.

Tendulkar will not bat at 3, I don't think. It'll be 4 or 5 for him--tussling with Ganguly. We may see Ganguly at number 3, if Laxman doesn't want that spot. Zaheer hasn't bowled a ball in the nets since coming to Australia so I don't see him as a starter tomorrow. I would risk going with the following line-up tomorrow and then think about cutting things around depending on the failures of a few players:

1. Wasim Jaffer
2. Virender Sehwag
3. Rahul Dravid
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Sourav Ganguly
6. VVS Laxman
7. Mahinder Singh Dhoni
8. Irfan Pathan
9. Anil Kumble
10. Ishant Sharma
11. Rudra Pratap Singh

Bowling is tough. I don't want to play both Ishant and Pankaj in the same game because it would be curtains for us if one of them is not what they are made out to be. Zaheer's injury makes it harder and forces me to pick Pathan, who I wouldn't have otherwise picked.

 

[SciD]

I have got question for all. Does Sehwag+Dhoni combination offer anything to India in test matches. I would rather have Kartick+Yuvraj who offer some sort of class in terms of there play and you can bank on them rather than earlier combination.

 

[sohum]

I have got question for all. Does Sehwag+Dhoni combination offer anything to India in test matches. I would rather have Kartick+Yuvraj who offer some sort of class in terms of there play and you can bank on them rather than earlier combination.

Obviously they offer something otherwise so many people wouldn't be picking them. Sehwag's record speaks for itself and Dhoni has shown his maturity a lot over the last few series he has played in.

 

[SciD]

Obviously they offer something otherwise so many people wouldn't be picking them. Sehwag's record speaks for itself and Dhoni has shown his maturity a lot over the last few series he has played in.

If we go on record then Kartick does not do bad either. And he has been opening for India this year. Sehwag has lot of uncertanity attached with him. Dhoni is also a doubtful player for these conditions. Yuvraj can anyday walk into side over Dhoni.

 

[0601731]

I have to applaud the optimism you Indian fans possess but as much as I would like to see Australia get beat for a change, I don't see it happening at all. 3 or 4 nil to Australia in my books.

neither of em is happening,india will fight.

 

[karnog]

I hate to break it but India need to balance their side to really beat Australia. While Australia have the strength to bowl 4 bowlers India need 5. Just because 7 batsman have performed IN India doesn't mean all should have a spot sacrificing a bowler. Their weaknesses were not analysed at all just because they won against a rebuilding, injury-prone Pakistan team. The way i see it they'll be a bowler short and a 7th batsman will not be needed. You need two openning batsman and putting Dravid their is bloody stupid. He is the rock after all. If an early wicket falls he can come in and stabilise the innings. His job is not to get India off to a great start. The openning pair should be a mix of flash and strong defense. Jaffer and Dhoni fill that regiment. Dravid at 3 and Ganguly at 4. Now Tendulkar at 5 and Laxman at 6. The bowlers should be H Singh, Kumble, RP Singh and Ishant Sharma. With such a strong top 6 whats the point of having a 7th batsman when he won't even bat? And if he does then why the hell is India's batting considered so strong? That 7th spot should be filled by an all-rounder. To me Melbourne and Sydney can do with Yuvraj as they are a spinning wicket. But when Perth and Adelaide comes India need to make a decision- 3 pace bowlers, a spinner and an all-rounder. Basically Pathan needs to comes back (as a bowler). The thing is, who to drop? I say the worst batsman. A batsman who hasn't performed. My opinion.

 

[0601731]

so u would drop zaheer???who basically is india's best seam up bowler.

 

[karnog]

^^ injured. Hasn't bowled in Australia (practice match or in the nets yet).

 

[0601731]

ya he didnt play in the practice match but is all set to play in the test tomorrow.

 

[icyman]

I have got question for all. Does Sehwag+Dhoni combination offer anything to India in test matches. I would rather have Kartick+Yuvraj who offer some sort of class in terms of there play and you can bank on them rather than earlier combination.

Sehwag,well if he gives the side a great start-it can actually work wonders.
He has also proved it over the last few years too.

If we go on record then Kartick does not do bad either. And he has been opening for India this year. Sehwag has lot of uncertanity attached with him. Dhoni is also a doubtful player for these conditions. Yuvraj can anyday walk into side over Dhoni.

Kartik is completely different.You just cant compare his batting style to that of Sehwag or Dhoni,both of whom are pretty attacking players.

How can you say that Dhoni is a doubtful batsman for these conditions ?
Please Explain ?

 

[SciD]

Well 12 man team has been announced and Pankaj, Sehwag,Kartic and Pathan have been left out. This means final spot fight is between Bhajji and Ishant. Therefore Ishant will score in this department. I still think Zaheer should not have been risked in first test of the series. Last time also he bolwed in 1 innings and then wnet home. A 10 day rest will mean he will be available for whole tour.

How can you say that Dhoni is a doubtful batsman for these conditions ?
Please Explain ?

Apart from 1 inning in England Dhoni has done nothing of note in foreign conditions. Also England does not have bouncy tracks as Australia. He will not get bowls to drive in Australia.

Kartik is completely different.You just cant compare his batting style to that of Sehwag or Dhoni,both of whom are pretty attacking players.

Kartick has been our best batsmen oversees and hes also an openor.

 

[Leggie]

Ok, here is my playing 11 (considering that Zaheer is injured) :

1) Wasim Jaffer
2) Rahul Dravid
3) Sachin Tendulkar
4) Sourav Ganguly
5) VVS Laxman
6) Yuvraj Singh
7) Mahendra Dhoni +
8) Irfan Pathan
9) Anil Kumble C
10) RP Singh
11) Ishant Sharma

Obviously the weak point here is our bowling, unless we want to play Bhajji and use Dada as our 3rd Seamer, but that is a gamble as the Aussies tend to slaughter part-timers, even in tests. RP wiil have to spearhead our attack along with Pathan.

 

[angryangy]

Ok, here is my playing 11 (considering that Zaheer is injured) :

1) Wasim Jaffer
2) Rahul Dravid
3) Sachin Tendulkar
4) Sourav Ganguly
5) VVS Laxman
6) Yuvraj Singh
7) Mahendra Dhoni +
8) Irfan Pathan
9) Anil Kumble C
10) RP Singh
11) Ishant Sharma

Obviously the weak point here is our bowling, unless we want to play Bhajji and use Dada as our 3rd Seamer, but that is a gamble as the Aussies tend to slaughter part-timers, even in tests. RP wiil have to spearhead our attack along with Pathan.

I'm maintaining that it wouldn't hurt to go for five. Batting conditions should be prime, but in the event of a struggle, a combination of Pathan, Kumble and Harbhajan is a tough lower order, as well as a varied attack for confident batsmen.