India in England Jun-Sept 2014

[aditya123]

Well pace hasn't really troubled this series thus far, the fact that 17 year olds were smashing the likes of Varun and Shami at pre tours shows what favors what

This is the problem with Indian cricket. We have a couple of guys who can bowl quick and we do not encourage that. All we keep doing is selecting military medium bowlers in the side.

 

[cricket_icon]

This is the problem with Indian cricket. We have a couple of guys who can bowl quick and we do not encourage that. All we keep doing is selecting military medium bowlers in the side.

India has rarely, if ever, had true pace bowlers, certainly ones that can maintain a lengthy test/ODI career. That shouldn't really concern anyone, it is the status quo, what does concern me however, is the lack of any real spin bowling talent. Jadeja is a work horse who bats a bit, Ashwin is a decent spinner but nothing special. Where are the Kumbles?

That's a question for all Indian fans who know more about the domestic scene than I do.

 

[SpitfiresKent]

Chris Read should undoubtedly be the keeper

No he shouldn't. Look at South Africa and how they've gradually bought de Kock into the side as Wicketkeeper, we should be doing the same with Buttler.

 

[ParkedTheBus]

No he shouldn't. Look at South Africa and how they've gradually bought de Kock into the side as Wicketkeeper, we should be doing the same with Buttler.

Worth noting is the fact that South Africa had no other test-class options. Maybe Heino Kuhn and Dane Vilas, but their batting has declined over the past couple of seasons. From having an avg. of 45+ in 2012, their averages are now 41-odd, which clearly shows the decline.

Of course, Jos has shown a lot of promise in the short forms, but for this series, an experienced head is what you need. And unlike South Africa, England are in turmoil and have no leaders. Read provides that leadership quality.

 

[aditya123]

India has rarely, if ever, had true pace bowlers, certainly ones that can maintain a lengthy test/ODI career. That shouldn't really concern anyone, it is the status quo, what does concern me however, is the lack of any real spin bowling talent. Jadeja is a work horse who bats a bit, Ashwin is a decent spinner but nothing special. Where are the Kumbles?

That's a question for all Indian fans who know more about the domestic scene than I do.

It might sound ridiculous but for some reason India seem to have a lot more choices in the seam bowling department than spin right now. For the first time in many years, we have two genuinely fast bowlers in Yadav and Aaron and in the seam department, people like Ishwar Pandey and Pankaj Singh in the shed to go with Shami, Bhuvi, Ishant and Zak. Unfortunately, as for spin the cupboard is`nt quite brimming with talent. Ojha tends to get a raw deal and Mishra is now ageing. Among the younger lot, Aksar Patel did reasonable well recently and Pervez Rasool has to be the most talented of the lot.

 

[SaiSrini]

I think Pankaj Singh should get a go if Shami is rested, he was the only one alongside Bhuvneshwar to get few wickets on pre tour games.

If Shami is rested, it should be Aaron. Shami has pace, so losing him will mean we lose pace. Aaron would fulfill that need.

Shami does need a break. Right time to get it when the opposition is facing all sorts of problems and when your own team's problems have taken a backseat temporarily.

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How does it feel to win at Lord's?

Don't know how exactly it feels. It will be my last Test at Lord's. Don't see myself coming back here in I don't know how many years. Definitely a memorable Test match.

Hint of retirement ?

I guess he said that because our next tour to England probably might be 2-3 years later. By that time, Dhoni could be gone from all formats. He has already hinted at retiring from one format to maximize his career.

 

[asprin]

Hint of retirement ?

Not surprising though. I figure he would retire from at lest 2 forms of cricket after the World Cup if not all. Honestly, I think it will be a great loss if he does so.

Speaking of Cook, I think the English fans need to cut him some slack. Agreed that he is woefully out of form, but you don't have a replacement for him yet. And with no KP, the batting lineup will be void of experience. He is under pressure, no doubt, and this is being reflected in the way he is batting. I wonder if it would help if he is given a cushion of 3 more tests and told, "There you go. You have, at minimum, 3 innings to get your act together. There will be no talk of your form in the dressing room until the series is over. So clear your mind, go out, and perform." Maybe psychologically, with the pressure of constantly being questioned, out of picture he might be able to bat more freely.

 

[SpitfiresKent]

Worth noting is the fact that South Africa had no other test-class options. Maybe Heino Kuhn and Dane Vilas, but their batting has declined over the past couple of seasons. From having an avg. of 45+ in 2012, their averages are now 41-odd, which clearly shows the decline.

Of course, Jos has shown a lot of promise in the short forms, but for this series, an experienced head is what you need. And unlike South Africa, England are in turmoil and have no leaders. Read provides that leadership quality.

Yawwwwwnnnnn

Great decision from the selectors. Buttler has the potential to change the game in one single session, really can't wait to see how he goes.

 

[lion100lion]

yes, unfortunately this is Cook's problem.

Yeah.. But his form will make a comeback.
(Though, I want his form to comeback after this series )

 

[SaiSrini]

Not surprising though. I figure he would retire from at lest 2 forms of cricket after the World Cup if not all. Honestly, I think it will be a great loss if he does so.

Dhoni's loss wont be felt much in test cricket. Yes change of captaincy might take us through some tough waters until the new captain stabilizes. But Dhoni the player in tests won't be missed much because he has never shown big potential in tests. There might even be some who would say that losing Dhoni in test cricket might actually help India.

 

[lion100lion]

On this memorable win, I want to know where Bishan singh Bedi is ?

 

[asprin]

Dhoni's loss wont be felt much in test cricket. Yes change of captaincy might take us through some tough waters until the new captain stabilizes. But Dhoni the player in tests won't be missed much because he has never shown big potential in tests. There might even be some who would say that losing Dhoni in test cricket might actually help India.

While what you say is not false, but a captain's role isn't just limited to on-field decisions and batting form. I feel he has been a great influence on others in the team and a great role model at that. I fear it will a while before we get another personality like Dhoni or worse, never at all.

 

[lion100lion]

Dhoni's loss wont be felt much in test cricket. Yes change of captaincy might take us through some tough waters until the new captain stabilizes. But Dhoni the player in tests won't be missed much because he has never shown big potential in tests. There might even be some who would say that losing Dhoni in test cricket might actually help India.

We often talk about Dhoni as a captain and as a batsman. But we forget that he is also a wicket keeper.
Again, as a wicket keeper, he doesn't have the text book technique. But still the records are in favour of him. How many great stumpings and catches has he taken !
We often rate wicket keepers on the basis of batting. But this isn't fair. They are almost all rounders.
Personally, I don't think any wicket keeper from India/any country (currently playing) match Dhoni.

So in Test cricket, we may miss Dhoni as a wicketkeeper...

 

[greymatter776]

We often talk about Dhoni as a captain and as a batsman. But we forget that he is also a wicket keeper.
Again, as a wicket keeper, he doesn't have the text book technique. But still the records are in favour of him. How many great stumpings and catches has he taken !
We often rate wicket keepers on the basis of batting. But this isn't fair. They are almost all rounders.
Personally, I don't think any wicket keeper from India/any country (currently playing) match Dhoni.

So in Test cricket, we may miss Dhoni as a wicketkeeper...

Although talking of Dhoni's replacement now is complete nonsense for the whole scenario would change after 2 years, I would say we have good talents in keeping.As of now the first priority is Saha,Kathik is no Kamran Akmal behind wicket and we do have Naman Ojha and even young Samson could keep well and could match Dhoni.So I think we are in no scarce of Keeping talents in India.

 

[lion100lion]

Although talking of Dhoni's replacement now is complete nonsense for the whole scenario would change after 2 years, I would say we have good talents in keeping.As of now the first priority is Saha,Kathik is no Kamran Akmal behind wicket and we do have Naman Ojha and even young Samson could keep well and could match Dhoni. So I think we are in no scarce of Keeping talents in India.

Today Dhoni is 33. 2 years later he will be 35. But what about the age of others, 2 years later ? Let's see....
Saha :- 31
Karthik :- 31
Naman Ojha :- 33
Samson :- 21

Today, as soon as the players get to an age above 30, critics start discussing about the retirement whenever they go through a bad form or poor fitness.
Sehwag, Zaheer etc are good examples. People started talking about Tendulkar's retirement 10 year's ago. Even Dhoni is going to maintain his fitness.

So first 3 players can be ruled out. This leaves us only with Samson, who is very young at learning stages. We have seen him batting well, but still his wicket-keeping skills and fitness levels are yet to be expored.

Also, Dhoni's high fitness levels cannot be matched with any modern day wicket-keeper. He hardly misses any match !!