India in Australia

[harishankar]

Symonds won't get dropped. He made 2 not out half-centuries in the 2 innings he played in the Sri Lankan series.

The naive selectors probably think from the last Boxing Day Test last year that Symonds can save an innings albeit weather he would've made a century that day if he wasn't batting with Hayden is another question. Perhaps they should give Hodge or Katich ago, although the number 6 slot isn't much of a concern at the moment and generally at that position the batsman should be an aggressive batsman anyway. Although, to an extent Hodge is an aggressive batsman and Katich has batted well with the tail in the past.

Hogg should play in Sydney and then should be dropped for the remaining last 2 Tests and get Tait in there bowling short to the Indians.

Having 4 seamers will backfire on Australia. Maybe drop Mitchell Johnson in favour of Shaun Tait, as he seems the weakest link in the seam department, but definitely play the spinner unless the pitch is grassy and damp.

I think not all the Indians are comfortable against wrist spin. Except Ganguly and sometimes Tendulkar, not one Indian player likes to use his feet.

Having the spinner has another advantage. Most Indian batsmen relax after the pressure of facing the pacers, so it is likely they will play loose strokes and get themselves out.

 

[icyman]

Yeah but you guys have had as much practice as we have, you've been playing against Pakistan, we've been playing against Sri Lanka. Te only difference is that you haven't been on our pitches much. But as far as match practice goes, you've just returned from your series against Pakistan.

Its practice on your pitches that will count !

Not really, it's well over the highest run chase at the MCG of all time. 399 is huge for a second innings chase, and the pitch will start to show something for the spinners. They have the time, but after their first innings, it's unlikely that they'll make it.

Drop Symonds is my opinion

They can still do it.
If they get stuck into the pitch,you never know what can happen,but i must say that the scales are tilted in Australia's favor at the moment.

I think India's opening combination is wrong. They're allowing the Aussie bowlers to get on top and allowing them to settle down to a great rhythm line and length.

We needed an attacking opener. Why bring Sehwag to Australia if you aren't going to play him on what looked like a pretty flat pitch? This was a great opportunity to play a really aggressive opener and give him some confidence.
Once again Harbhajan has proved a liability with the ball and RP doesn't have enough pace to get wickets consistently. I would drop RP and bring in Ishant Sharma for the next game.

Opening combination is completely wrong-I belive they tried to bore the Aussies with defensive batting.That will not help.

I really want to see Dravid in full flow-the Dravid that India had on the last series.

On the other hand,if we get Sehwag,okay,ppl will say its a risk,but well worth it.If Sehwag slams Lee,Clark for a couple of boundaries in the first over-the can even be pushed on the back-foot.

Bowling:
I agree with the Harbhajan comment.They should have selected Kartik Murali for the tour instead.
But I disagree with the RP Singh comment-He bowled really well in the second innings.
I belive the team will change after the Sydeny test as the BCCI has asked Agarkar and Sreesanth to be on stand-by.

 

[irottev]

There's a lot of comments about the umpires. Just remember the pressure they're under. The only bad one i've seen was where Bowden disallowed that plumb LBW.

India won't get the runs. I'm hoping Hoggy gets some more wickets. I'm a huge fan of Tait and want to see him play though. maybe for Johnson. He was a bit unlucky, but he bowls too many deliveries too wide. Him being a left armer though I guess makes him handy to keep.

 

[harishankar]

********. He made 1 bad decision and about 10 right ones and he's so bad. Nothing makes some people happy.

Billy seems to get under pressure from the Aussie style of appealing.

You can say that some umpires are intimidated when they officiate in countries like Australia where crowds openly boo umpires who seem to make wrong decisions (especially if the decision is against the home team).

 

[icyman]

There's a lot of comments about the umpires. Just remember the pressure they're under. The only bad one i've seen was where Bowden disallowed that plumb LBW.

But over the last year,the Test captains have infact voted him as one of the worst.

 

[harishankar]

But over the last year,the Test captains have infact voted him as one of the worst.

Just my observation, watching him over a period of time: he doesn't have the calm assurance of say, Simon Taufel or Rudi Koertzen. He seems hassled whenever there is an aggressive appeal.

 

[irottev]

I can see where you are coming from. However, he made good decisions against Kumble, when he was pleading.

No one has told me about any other bad calls he made. So because he gave benefit of the doubt to the batsman on one occasion he's terrible? Sounds like Indian fans finding something to bitch about if you ask me.

 

[harishankar]

I can see where you are coming from. However, he made good decisions against Kumble, when he was pleading.

No one has told me about any other bad calls he made. So because he gave benefit of the doubt to the batsman on one occasion he's terrible? Sounds like Indian fans finding something to bitch about if you ask me.

Naturally we defend our batsmen against bad umpiring just as you defend your umpire whenever he's under criticism.

Billy always seemed to be intimidated against big home crowds, both in the sub-continent and in Australia. I base my opinion of having watched him over a period of time, not just this match.

 

[AKP_007]

India have got around 180 overs to chase 499, if India apply themselves and bat sensibly, you never know. Whatever happens, India should go down fighting.

 

[harishankar]

India have got around 180 overs to chase 499, if India apply themselves and bat sensibly, you never know. Whatever happens, India should go down fighting.

No chance realistically. If they bat really well, they might make around 300-350 but even that is a difficult prospect on a wearing pitch.

The only good thing for India is that the pitch is slow and there's not much lateral movement for the seamers. They should be able to handle that, but it's all in the mind from now on. They have got to think positively from here on.

 

[sohum]

Yeah but you guys have had as much practice as we have, you've been playing against Pakistan, we've been playing against Sri Lanka. Te only difference is that you haven't been on our pitches much. But as far as match practice goes, you've just returned from your series against Pakistan.

Come on. You know as well as me that playing in India is not even minutely similar to playing in Australia. Not to mention that Australian players have obviously played a lot more cricket on their pitches and having grown up on them know things about them better than a visiting team.

 

[Gilly Fan]

Went to the cricket today.

Good day today. Quite hot (36C), but was still fun. Gilly played some nice strokes. I was hoping he would hit a six. He hit a slog sweep straight towards me but it was only a four.

The Indians bowled well to him. They didn't give him much flight so he could play that slog sweep and kept him on the back foot.

Oh and that reverse sweep. Loooovely!

Punter stuggled again. Only 7 runs in the match. So many no-balls aswell from Zaheer Khan. Cost them the wicket of Roy. And then Bay 13 gave him stick for that.

I'll add pics later.

 

[sohum]

Well he wasn't given much to score from early. Mitch and Binga were pretty wide. Get up early, might as well. Its only one day that you might be tired out of a million more you will live

I would but the last time I did that we scored 32 runs in almost a full session and lost two wickets. It would take a very strong logical argument to convince me to wake up, but I already know that I will be awake at 5 am sharp.

 

[punterpupnroy]

its great u had a good time and that gilly gave u and everyone a small treat, ill love to see those pics havent yet been to a cricket match

 

[sohum]

Dravid looks like a fish out of water opening. He might be a good technically correct player, but to be an opener, you need a different mindset altogether. I think if he fails again in the 2nd innings, he needs to seriously consider his career and maybe hang up the boots. Since resigning as captain, he's looked too negative as a player and his career is going nowhere at the moment.

I think that is the selectors tactic in starting to clear out the senior players. Put them where they aren't comfortable and then get rid of them. If Dravid's career is ended on the basis of this series, where he was asked to open to let Yuvraj play, I think it would be very unfair. All the same, I'm ready to see the next generation of Indian cricketers begin to step in.

Having 4 seamers will backfire on Australia. Maybe drop Mitchell Johnson in favour of Shaun Tait, as he seems the weakest link in the seam department, but definitely play the spinner unless the pitch is grassy and damp.

I think not all the Indians are comfortable against wrist spin. Except Ganguly and sometimes Tendulkar, not one Indian player likes to use his feet.

Having the spinner has another advantage. Most Indian batsmen relax after the pressure of facing the pacers, so it is likely they will play loose strokes and get themselves out.

I'm not sure playing 4 seamers will backfire on Australia, but I do think Brad Hogg brings a lot to the table. As you said, Tendulkar and Ganguly played Hogg with ease (except after Sachin was dismissed--when Ganguly tried to go into his shell). Laxman is supposed to be the best player against spin in the Indian line-up but he hasn't had a chance to face Hogg, yet. Dravid and Jaffer are both good against spin when they are being positive.

The key would be to get wickets early. Hogg could be very dangerous if the batsmen aren't trying to get runs off of him actively.

There's a lot of comments about the umpires. Just remember the pressure they're under. The only bad one i've seen was where Bowden disallowed that plumb LBW.

Well you weren't watching closely, then. There were at least 4 occasions where Kumble trapped Hogg in front of the stumps that weren't given. A couple of them were close but a couple of them were incredulously obvious.

And Bowden already has a couple of mistakes from the first innings. One of the Aussie batsmen were hit outside line in the first innings, and also he missed Mitch Johnson's and Yuvraj Singh's inside edges to be caught at forward short leg and silly point respectively.

Sounds like Indian fans finding something to bitch about if you ask me.

In that case you are obviously selectively only reading parts of posts which support your pre-conceived theory.