India in Australia

[angryangy]

What are Sydney and Adelaide like? There are 5 tests right? Or only 4?

4. Melbourne - Sydney - Adelaide - Perth

The unique Bulli soil used at Sydney is known to give strong, true bounce and a quite bit of purchase to the spinners when it breaks up. Recently the pitch has been as good on day 1 as on day 3 (Simon Katich's 300 an innings of note), but maybe some good spinners could change that. The SCG is also a noticeably small ground.

You can see at the MCG and Gabba in football season, the 40m centre square and 50m goal arcs, thus it is well over 70 metres from the centre wicket to the fence.

At the SCG, the two bisect and the distance to the fence is about 15 metres shorter.
Many shots that have been saved for 2 or 3 in the current game would have made the fence.

While the SCG is circular, the Adelaide oval is very long down the ground and flattened square of the wicket. The pitch traditionally is one you always want to bat first on and is hard work for bowlers, not offering too much bounce, but the abrasive wicket and hot, dry conditions have a reputation for reverse swing. In recent first class games there has been something on offer for seamers, but the international pitch tends to be as reliable as any.

 

[punterpupnroy]

pup nearly nicked that to donhi

 

[smssia0112]

both of them need to keep playing the same aggresive way.
Weve all seen how useless symonds is when he trys to play defensively, he just pokes an prods around offstump an ends up nicking to slips an keeper or out lbw its not his game an will get out for less than 20.
So hes better off playing his natural game gettin 30 or if lucks on his side a century.
Same with gilly only knows 1 way to bat sometimes it pays off an u see him get a big score an turn a bad situation into a great one for australia in a small amount of time.

Gotta take the good with the bad

Did you see last year's Boxing Day test? He can score a century with the right aggression. He just needs to build an innings before he starts letting loose.

Right now, he is being aggressive but it doesn't matter because we aren't under much pressure, we have a decent lead already.

I am sorry Ben, but there is a difference between throwing your wicket away and playing a stupid shot. In test cricket, you have to be more defensive than that. It's not a matter of going after every ball that could possibly be hit. It's about getting into the crease, seeing off the ball, blocking a bit and finding your own abilities today. Get used to the bowlers and their variations, and put some runs on the board.

No one goes out when the team is collapsing in a test match and starts hitting out straight away, except for someone who has no idea what they are doing in test cricket.

 

[Sman-21]

thats what i mean when he goes out with an aggressive frame of mind looking to score runs he is at his best.
Bad ball gotta smash it.
Ball in his favourite hitting areas gotta go for it.
ofcourse when its a great ball block.

When he goes out there looking to survive an try to play safely/defensive hes useless.

bad balls he puts away but good an average balls he trys to play safely instead of going hard.
an pokes an prods around off giving nicks

 

[aditya123]

Zaheer got some reverse-swing there. Getting Symmo trapped in front.
Though he has gone for runs, he has looked impressive.

The wicket coming a bit too late for India. Kumble must bring himself on.

 

[sohum]

Sohum, you're way too harsh on Yuvraj. He's is absolute class, in my opinion and has to play - but that's subjective. This match, you can't blame him. He was given out when he didn't hit the ball.

Every successful international XI knows that the first thing you pick on your batting line-up is your openers. India really doesn't understand the importance of openers--this is something they have demonstrated for a while now. Sure, you can bring Yuvraj into the team, but only if you drop one of Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman and Ganguly. If you think Yuvraj is good enough to replace one of them, go right ahead, but if he isn't, I'm afraid he's just going to have to wait. Or he could convert into an opener, like Sehwag did.

If Agarkar gets picked, over the dozens who have performed better in domestic cricket (even for Mumbai), it will be the biggest joke of all.

Agarkar was injured and did not appear for the must-win game for Mumbai that started on Christmas day, so I'm sure he won't be called up unless the selectors are absolute idiots. Oh wait...

 

[mattfb]

Zaheer is bowling way to many No-balls. 13 I think it is.

 

[sohum]

billy bowdens umpiring is so bad
where is aleem dar right now anyway?

i think the best umpires should be available for the high profile matches and with taufel being not available i think aleem dar has to be there

Aleem Dar is umpiring in South Africa where the Proteas are currently being schooled by West Indies.

So what they got hardly any practise. They have to deal with it mate. There professional cricketers. How much practise in each country do you think Australia are going to get in these next few months? We fly straight from Pakistan to start the Windies tour, then straight back home to play Bangladesh etc..

You are starting to sound like Niranjan Shah. It's quite obvious that you need practice to play well. Australia get at least two tour matches when they tour India, IIRC.

 

[Cricketman]

We need to get into the tail early, Kumble should get on and attack some more. Zaheer has been unlucky, somethings wrong with his run up and the results are his runouts. That one to bowl Symonds was a beaut.

2 quick wickets should force a decleration, methinks.

 

[sohum]

To be fair to Symonds, he batted pretty well for most of his innings, the only real flaw was the way he got out. On any other day that ball could have gone 1 or 2 metres either way of the fielder and gone for 4.

Symonds tried to pull his first ball down the ground and slashed and missed multiple times when he first came in in the first innings. He never really got composed, he played as if he needed a quick 50 to win the ODI game--not like he was going to build a long innings that would secure Australia the match.

 

[aditya123]

We need to get into the tail early, Kumble should get on and attack some more. Zaheer has been unlucky, somethings wrong with his run up and the results are his runouts. That one to bowl Symonds was a beaut.

2 quick wickets should force a decleration, methinks.

Noballs, not runouts !
Why is Kumble not bowling. They`re allowing this to drift and waiting for the declaration. They should in fact be trying to bowl them out.

 

[sohum]

We need to get into the tail early, Kumble should get on and attack some more. Zaheer has been unlucky, somethings wrong with his run up and the results are his runouts. That one to bowl Symonds was a beaut.

2 quick wickets should force a decleration, methinks.

No declaration coming from Aussies. They'll bat out the end of the day and only declare sometime tomorrow. Two whole days should be enough time to skittle the Indians out. This lead is already well outside range. I don't see the Indians scoring more than 250 in the second innings.

 

[pal]

No declaration coming from Aussies. They'll bat out the end of the day and only declare sometime tomorrow. Two whole days should be enough time to skittle the Indians out. This lead is already well outside range. I don't see the Indians scoring more than 250 in the second innings.

Definitely, they'll be looking to set the lead at such a high margin that no one, not even the most fanatic of Indian supporters, could harbour hopes of a successful run chase.

 

[jkartik]

Definitely, they'll be looking to set the lead at such a high margin that no one, not even the most fanatic of Indian supporters, could harbour hopes of a successful run chase.

hmmmm.....so will that mean another 1 run off 100 balls from dravid ????
that would be really exciting....he'll get off the mark in the 99th delivery....

 

[symonds_sixes]

It's time for Gilchrist to go from the test team. Bring in Haddin, better keeper and batsman.