India in Australia

[Cricketman]

Yuvraj won't get a chance to bat today. He'll get a chance to fail tomorrow, hopefully.

Today as in, this match

 

[sohum]

I'm quite gutted at the moment. I wish India were batting right now...

Absolutely flabbergasted.

Speaking of which, I find it surprising that Australia have won the toss--or rather the opposition captain has lost the toss--with such regularity.

 

[Cricketman]

Overthrow's by Yuvraj! You're in the negatives, buddy!

Ishanth, meanwhile, is now clocking over 140 k's.

 

[aussie_ben91]

Yeah, I reckon I'll be watching Australia's tail batting tomorrow morning which will be **** and then I think India will be 7 down by the end of the 2nd day and it's the only day I can go.

So far, I've lost respect for Ponting, the man who flipped the coin & and umpire who didn't give Ponting out when he was out.

 

[sohum]

India are actually selecting the team that they feel will do well in the conditions. You want Sehwag because he has succeeded before as an opener. But a more indepth analysis will tell you that the conditions dont favor Sehwag that much, and we will have to hope that he comes good on a given day for us to be in the position we want to be. But Dravid is technically solid, plays in the conditions better. And India dont want to make a knee jerk reaction to the first test defeat. I mean I wanted Sehwag, but I can see where this decision is coming from, and I accept it.

Dravid is not an opener by trade. The first thing any good international team does is select their openers. Then the rest of the batsmen are selected. Opening is not just a position that any batsman can play because of a solid technique--but a specialist position that retires the capability to prepare differently mentally. When Langer retired for Australia, they could have easily slotted in someone who was piling the runs on in the middle order and sent someone as scapegoat for the opening position. But instead they picked the two best openers in their country regardless of whether that opener was a rookie at international level.

The second mistake is Harbhajan. Though Sydney normally spins, it seems by most accounts that this pitch is slightly different. I'm all for picking spinners in abundance in the subcontinent, but you have to pick your bowlers based on the conditions as well. If the wicket doesn't help Harbhajan he could get absolutely caned, especially if he bowls as he has been lately.

 

[Cricketman]

Dravid is not an opener by trade. The first thing any good international team does is select their openers. Then the rest of the batsmen are selected. Opening is not just a position that any batsman can play because of a solid technique--but a specialist position that retires the capability to prepare differently mentally. When Langer retired for Australia, they could have easily slotted in someone who was piling the runs on in the middle order and sent someone as scapegoat for the opening position. But instead they picked the two best openers in their country regardless of whether that opener was a rookie at international level.

The second mistake is Harbhajan. Though Sydney normally spins, it seems by most accounts that this pitch is slightly different. I'm all for picking spinners in abundance in the subcontinent, but you have to pick your bowlers based on the conditions as well. If the wicket doesn't help Harbhajan he could get absolutely caned, especially if he bowls as he has been lately.

Especially when we have three specialist openers in the squad, can't you chose two?
I really think Irfan would have picked up a wicket already if he were playing. Kumble always has preferred having a spin twin when he bowls, so his bias is obviously going to be present. If Ganguly already got an edge (even though it wasn't given), Irfan would have extracted a wicket as well.

Speaking of Bhajji, here he comes on now. I would have preferred to see Ganguly bowling longer, he was in the midst of a good spell.

 

[sohum]

Especially when we have three specialist openers in the squad, can't you chose two?
I really think Irfan would have picked up a wicket already if he were playing. Kumble always has preferred having a spin twin when he bowls, so his bias is obviously going to be present. If Ganguly already got an edge (even though it wasn't given), Irfan would have extracted a wicket as well.

I don't know if you can use Ganguly's extraction of an edge as justification that Irfan'd get something. Ganguly bowled that ball down the leg side and it was actually a pretty poor ball. Benson probably thought there's no way a classy batsman like Ponting could have gotten out to a poor ball like that.

 

[Cricketman]

I'm just saying that the ball is aiding seamers quite well, and Irfan would have been a better choice then Harbajan.

Ganguly reference was because he too was bowling quite well.

And that was a fantastic shot.

 

[sohum]

I'm just saying that the ball is aiding seamers quite well, and Irfan would have been a better choice then Harbajan.

Ganguly reference was because he too was bowling quite well.

And that was a fantastic shot.

I guess he would have gotten some swing. RP got some swing earlier in the morning but nothing substantial. Both wickets were taken due to extra bounce.

 

[pal]

****, and the rabbit scurries off once again.

 

[evertonfan]

Right, Cricinfo's not working for me and me old fella won't let me watch the cricket. Someone fill me in on the details. I'm guessing it isn't the usual Aussie dominance?

Oh, and there's no spiders around this time.

 

[sohum]

Ponting is one lucky guy, today.

Right, Cricinfo's not working for me and me old fella won't let me watch the cricket. Someone fill me in on the details. I'm guessing it isn't the usual Aussie dominance?

Oh, and there's no spiders around this time.

1. Indian selectors are still stupid. It's Jaffer+Dravid again with the only change being Ishant coming in for the injured Zaheer Khan.
2. RP picked up two early wickets (the openers) with deliveries that bounced a little more than expected.
3. Don't look at your ceiling.
4. Ponting edged the ball to Dhoni off Ganguly down the leg side but Benson was having hearing problems.
5. Dhoni missed a touch stumping chance of Ponting just a few minutes back.

 

[evertonfan]

Hmmm, Ponting looks odds on to get a 100 then.

 

[pal]

Right, Cricinfo's not working for me and me old fella won't let me watch the cricket. Someone fill me in on the details. I'm guessing it isn't the usual Aussie dominance?

RP Singh got two early wickets. Ganguly came in early and got Ponting out off a blatant edge and almost everyone in the ground knew it, except for the umpire. Ponting and Hussey continued to build a decent partnership, when Dhoni missed a stumping off Bhajji that would have got Ponting out.

 

[sohum]

Hmmm, Ponting looks odds on to get a 100 then.

I'd say that's about right. Hussey looks in good touch as well.

That's lunch. I'd say the session is about even but tilted slightly towards Australia because they've ended it with two batsmen looking good to reach three figures.