India in England/Ireland/Scotland

[sohum]

Cricinfo says Dravid is "retired hurt". I hope this is simply a case of a mistakenly added extra word.

 

[andrew_nixon]

Yeah, he's retired out. Something that cricinfo do a lot, that mistake.

 

[Sureshot]

He stopped due to a minor niggle (Groin iirc) so technically it was correct.

 

[SaiSrini]

^ He was still a good batsman (even after the match-fixing scandal), just not as good a human being for selling out to his country and fans.

This is a good performance from the Indians. No point in trying to put the runs up quickly and lose wickets along the way if the opportunities to practice are low given the rain.

True. the match fixing episode doesnt make him a bad batsman. He is one of the best batsman the country had produced.

He stopped due to a minor niggle (Groin iirc) so technically it was correct.

It says "mild calf strain'. I hope its not too big, because we badly need Dravid in England.

 

[Leicester Fox]

That is a strong team! Will be good to see Rashid up against some quality players of spin and see if Broad can regain his form after that horrible performance in the last game. What type of match is it? 3 day or 50 overs?

 

[sohum]

That is a strong team! Will be good to see Rashid up against some quality players of spin and see if Broad can regain his form after that horrible performance in the last game. What type of match is it? 3 day or 50 overs?

I think it's a 3-day. It would be unwise to play a 50-over game as a tour match before a test series.

 

[Leicester Fox]

Exactly as England did before the ashes and look what happened although i guess we played some 3 day games but then again so have India.

 

[Sureshot]

Judging by that Strauss is a shoe in for the Test series which is disappointing I think. Strong team even if Denly is playing

I took some photo's yesterday at Hove and I got some good action shots (mainly of the Indian batsman mid-shot) so they look good, will get them uploaded and posted tomorrow. Delighted for Rayner getting a couple of wickets yesterday, he had a cult following yesterday "Rayner for England, Rayner for England"

 

[manee]

What about Saqlain for England?

 

[andrew_nixon]

What about Saqlain for England?

He isn't eligible yet.

 

[manee]

I thought he was a British passport holder.

 

[playkid12]

I thought he was a British passport holder.

Wiki: Saqlain is married to an English woman, allowing him to apply for a British passport in April 2007. This would in turn allow him to play as an EU qualified player, making him available for selection for England in 2008

 

[andrew_nixon]

I thought he was a British passport holder.

Yes he is. But he isn't eligible until four years after his last game for Pakistan which was in March 2004. Even then, he has to have lived in England or Wales for six months out of each of the previous four years.

 

[Adarsh]

What do you guys think India's team make up should be? Given that Karthik, Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly are certainties...I'd think that Jaffer is likely to open. So thats No.1-5 decided. The next couple of places is between Laxman, Yuvraj and Dhoni. This is tricky. I haven't seen Laxman play for a long time but if he's in a good nick then he should get the nod. However Yuvraj is also in great form (shared man of the series) so it'll be harsh to drop him. Dhoni...now his place in the team is shaky. Karthik has proved to be more than decent behind the wickets. However, I think we need one aggressive batsman in the team and given Dhoni's past record we should persist with him. So, Laxman out imo.

Bowlers. Kumble and Zaheer are certain. RP Singh has been in good form as well. It's a shame that Agarkar is not being considered for tests. The fourth bowler will be between Sreesanth and Powar. I guess Sreesanth will be chosen, since it's England. So here's my line up:
Karthik
Jaffer
Dravid
Tendulkar
Ganguly
Yuvraj
Dhoni
Kumble
Zaheer Khan
RP Singh
Sreesanth

 

[Sureshot]

Yes he is. But he isn't eligible until four years after his last game for Pakistan which was in March 2004. Even then, he has to have lived in England or Wales for six months out of each of the previous four years.

And he hasn't done that has he?