India tour of Australia Nov'20-Jan'21

[NILAYSHAH60]

Although we do have a lead but I am a little worried whether we would win this match. I remember the horrendous 2nd innings in the Gabba Test back in 2014. I was confident enough that India would gain a good lead and would give Australia a tough target to chase. I came back from school next day only to see Australia had to just chase around a 100 and they had won the match. Also the Christchurch Test earlier this year is something I can't get out of my head. Fingers crossed!!!

 

[LiveLoveABD]

I am sorry if I go long with this. You know I have my own share of favoritism or you would say bias towards KL Rahul. Some 3-4 years ago, I would be more than happy to have somebody like KL Rahul in my team.

Reasons?
He has a good height to counter the swing and bounce of the pacers
He is very aggressive at the top of the order and is equally capable of grinding it out
He can play shots everywhere across the ground and has a 360-degree game like AB de Villiers.

But things changed for me suddenly when he went to England and he consistently got out to the balls that came in to him. I mean he looked rather clueless to such balls and he developed a consistent pattern of getting out to the in-swingers and this is the thing that played in his head and he soon turned into someone who was rather unsure about his game. This went on to terribly affect his confidence. He rather started to look too much into his game. Now what does it suggest? It suggests that KL have a thing called confidence issues, there is a certain nature in few individuals who would rather overthink when they fail to achieve that they would be looking for and this has a terrible impact on the career of a person especially a sports player. Now how would to resolve this issue? Honestly there is no remedy for this and that individual would rather have to go through this and wait for success to come towards his way, this thing can make him confident and would rather help him discover his flaw on his own.

Now do you think he has actually improved on his game since then? My simple answer is a big NO!!! And this is very much evident with how he has approached his game since that horrendous England and Australia tour. You know he was actually struggling to have his bat on the ball during the Asia Cup and the West Indies series that he played at home before going to Australia in 2018. He was very low on confidence when he played the T20I series at home against Australia in February 2019. He did well in the IPL that year and gained a little confidence due to which he scored a 100 against Bangladesh in the Warm-up of the World Cup. Yes he did have a good World Cup but he was never really tested with that in-swinger throughout the World Cup and post that. But he didn't have a great time in West Indies in the Test series and he was dropped!!! Yes, he did score well in the ODI series against West Indies at home but on flat pitches where there was hardly any chance of the in-swinger to trouble him, same happened during the T20I series in New Zealand. But do you remember the way he got out in the 2nd ODI in New Zealand this year? Yes, that big inswinger on good length!!! So it is quite evident he still has the issue with that ball. And you know if he does play and he fails to improve he would once again suffer with that confidence issue which might result in the loss of form and confidence in limited overs format as well. He needs to get back to the domestic Circuit and get his basics right. Only then he would be confident enough to get through a tough series. He needs time.

Guru Ji, one question-

Do you think Rohit Sharma at 33 deserves to again be trialled and errored at the top of the order in test match cricket?

 

[asprin]

Can't help but wonder if Shaw was sent in as the nightwatchman to shield Bumrah's wicket....

Bumrah has played more deliveries and scored as much as him already.

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Guru Ji, one question-

Do you think Rohit Sharma at 33 deserves to again be trialled and errored at the top of the order in test match cricket?

Last two tests will answer your question

 

[SaiSrini]

Can they send Shaw back on the next flight, so that he can come back home and play SMAT? So clear on his technical deficiencies and he gets out on the same deficiency twice in a test.

Splendid stuff from Ashwin! I was literally waiting to see when he will do a Kumble and fix his average returns overseas. From today's show, it looks like he is on that path. Frankly I am surprised that India got a lead in this match, and its a significant one of 50+. Now that Shaw is out of the way, the Big Three should sink in and use all their powers to get us to a big total. I dont think Australia will fold in as easily in the second innings and I've a feeling that batting could get easier as the game progresses. India is in with a solid chance, and hope they dont fluff it up.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Last two tests will answer your question

Question is whether he deserves it more or Rahul?

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Can they send Shaw back on the next flight, so that he can come back home and play SMAT? So clear on his technical deficiencies and he gets out on the same deficiency twice in a test.

Splendid stuff from Ashwin! I was literally waiting to see when he will do a Kumble and fix his average returns overseas. From today's show, it looks like he is on that path. Frankly I am surprised that India got a lead in this match, and its a significant one of 50+. Now that Shaw is out of the way, the Big Three should sink in and use all their powers to get us to a big total. I dont think Australia will fold in as easily in the second innings and I've a feeling that batting could get easier as the game progresses. India is in with a solid chance, and hope they dont fluff it up.

Ashwin has been bowling well since a while overseas. That's the thing with bowlers. Unless they get wickets they go unnoticed. Batsmen have a more liquid currency in runs so to speak. Ashwin and Jadeja both have managed to string an end up overseas for a good two years now. Ashwin's challenge will come a bit later in the series when his body begins to tire. I still believe that he can easily bat at 7 and he is one of the guys who will feed off the fact that he is batting a number higher.
India's biggest unsung hero of the last 3-4 years has been Ishant. He's a workhorse, bowls long spells and he keeps it very very tight. I am still not convinced on Umesh.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Ravi Shastri on Prithvi Shaw: There is a bit of Tendulkar, Sehwag and Lara in him

Have you guys stumbled upon this pearl of wisdom?

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Guru Ji, one question-

Do you think Rohit Sharma at 33 deserves to again be trialled and errored at the top of the order in test match cricket?

Well I don't remember I have said that in recent times. I apologise for what I had said earlier but I think it was about 2 years ago so it should be irrelevant now. Shouldn't it be?

Also why should we compare a better player who never applied himself enough?

Similarly why should KL Rahul a better player be compared to Rohit Sharma?

 

[Aalay]

Just going to reiterate basically what everyone has been saying in this thread.

(1) Shaw needs a break for his own good. He hasn't looked in good touch since the start of IPL. This is the reason Delhi dropped him. He is very young, and he is a gun player when he gets going, but his weakness has been exposed here. He struggles against the incoming deliveries, and it has been highlighted in just two innings here. As I said, he is very young and has a lot of time to overcome this weakness, which I am sure he will as I already saw him made a slight adjustment in the second inning. However, he is not ready to play test cricket currently with that technical deficiency. I really hope the management understands this and gives him a break rather than forcing him to play out there and completely shatter his confidence. You can just see that he looks down on confidence even in the field with that dropped catch. Gill should have played this test, and I hope they bring him in the next test.

(2) Our catching is atrocious. Imagine dropping several catches, batting below par and still having a strong position in the test. I can't believe how well placed we are currently in this test match despite all of that, and that is because of our bowling. It's amazing to see Ashwin bowling and finally outbowling Lyon in Australia. I hope his form continues throughout the series because he is a crucial player for India in tests.

(3) If Jadeja is fit next match, it will definitely put pressure on Vihari. Vihari needs to perform in the second inning to save his spot, I feel. I didn't mind four men bowling attack for this test because of the pink ball and day-night test, but it won't work in Melbourne. We will need a fifth bowling option in Melbourne.

(4) Saha is also under a bit of pressure, considering he didn't do much with the bat in the first inning and was ok behind the stumps. Pant's record in Australia is excellent considering the series he had last time, and he has just smashed a century in the practice match. I am not expecting them to replace Saha immediately, but he is definitely under pressure.

Just imagine our position in this test match had we taken all the chances in the field.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Well I don't remember I have said that in recent times. I apologise for what I had said earlier but I think it was about 2 years ago so it should be irrelevant now. Shouldn't it be?

Also why should we compare a better player who never applied himself enough?

Similarly why should KL Rahul a better player be compared to Rohit Sharma?

I am probably the only person here (from the old school of thought) who is willing to give Sharma Ji a chance opening. And no need to apologise for anything you said. It was your opinion then and it's okay to change that. It's worse to be stubborn. I am not making this personal.

I just have one question purely from the team management side- If Rohit can be given an opportunity to open based on LOI form then why not KL specially considering his growth in the last year and when the regular pair is benched? Did we not have enough evidence on what was about to happen with Shaw? Gill will replace Kohli in the second test for certain and Rahul will now have one test match to make a mark. If he scores, we are caught between a rock and a hard place. The more sensible thing to do would have been to give him these two tests and see how it goes. He does have two centuries in SENA conditions and because he's not Virat Kohli so there is less hype but him and Pant could have done the impossible in the last test against England. It just didn't materialise. Remember a certain VVS Laxman? Sydney 2000? You don't drop people after stuff like that, you back them!!!

My biggest gripe against India's team right now is not with individual players but with yardsticks that are set for players. It's different for everyone. The whole world now knows that the yo yo test was created at the time to get rid of Yuvraj Singh. (a potential number 4 for the 19 WC)
I can bet you that the likes of Bumrah, Ashwin and even Sharma Ji will not pass any sort of normal fitness test also. A triple centurion has been discarded in the dustbin of history. Mind you, Pujara was well on the way to be ousted till some others failed and people like you and me made a hue and cry about his omission. It's just a relentless joke.

Sehwag, Tendulkar and Lara in one!!

And this guy replaced Kumble.

It's like we chose a Gurgaon bootlegger to replace an IIM graduate for a CAT exam.

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Question is whether he deserves it more or Rahul?

Different people will have different perception on this one. Highly controversial.

Who ever plays, he should deliver. If he does, good for India. If he doesn't, unfair for the other.

 

[SaiSrini]

We definitely have to have two replacements to the batting order for the next match. One is forced due to Kohli's departure. And the second one is that of Prithvi Shaw. Rahul and Gill HAVE to play at MCG. I don't care if either one of them opens and the other one bats at No. 4.

I agree with the assessment of Jadeja pushing Vihari for a spot, in the next test. Especially if Saha continues to play ahead of Pant, having a left hander in the lineup helps. Jaddu is at a stage where he is pushing himself to become a specialist batsman in all formats. And he is a specialist bowler compared to Vihari and gives a solid 5th bowling option. If MCG plays according to tradition, it will be more batting friendly and a solid 5th bowling option is required.

Saha vs Pant - lets see what Saha does in the 2nd innings. He better start delivering with the bat or else India will have to start making peace with Pant's "inferior keeping" (compared to Saha) in order to extract more runs out of our wicketkeeper bat in tests.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

We definitely have to have two replacements to the batting order for the next match. One is forced due to Kohli's departure. And the second one is that of Prithvi Shaw. Rahul and Gill HAVE to play at MCG. I don't care if either one of them opens and the other one bats at No. 4.

I agree with the assessment of Jadeja pushing Vihari for a spot, in the next test. Especially if Saha continues to play ahead of Pant, having a left hander in the lineup helps. Jaddu is at a stage where he is pushing himself to become a specialist batsman in all formats. And he is a specialist bowler compared to Vihari and gives a solid 5th bowling option. If MCG plays according to tradition, it will be more batting friendly and a solid 5th bowling option is required.

Saha vs Pant - lets see what Saha does in the 2nd innings. He better start delivering with the bat or else India will have to start making peace with Pant's "inferior keeping" (compared to Saha) in order to extract more runs out of our wicketkeeper bat in tests.

I think for the Saha v Pant, we should now stick with Saha. Give him this full series or at least till we are in it. If we play Shaw again, we are actually harming him than doing him any good. Like with any cricketer, he's not as bad as the internet is making him out to be but he's not as good as he thinks and definitely not anywhere near as what our bright coach feels at this stage in his career. We are all grown up enough to understand that he is young and he has got to where he has with talent and it's just a question of whether he wants to truly get better or be an Umar Akmal.

The best thing to do to Shaw is to send him to the NCA under Rahul Dravid's watch and ask RSD for a detailed report on him whenever possible (including his attitude and fitness) post covid and then take his career forward from there. It is possible that Shaw plays at the MCG and clatters a double hundred but the long term future of his cricket with his mindset as of now and his skill set is destined for a sure shot crash landing.

The Jadeja conversation has me on the fence. He definitely is better than Vihari but I just feel we need 6 batters abroad and without Kohli I would not dare play a genuine all rounder. The only reason I would render this some thought is the fragile bodies of our bowlers. Bumrah and Ashwin give me the feeling of these vintage engines which when well oiled can make your ride feel like that of splendour but when it breaks down you almost wish you had taken a cab. Shami isn't a spring chicken either and Umesh is Umesh. He won't break down but he can win the opposition a test in a session. Basically, the opposite of Sehwag.

My XI for the next test is-

Rahul
Mayank
Pujara
Gill
Rahane
Vihari/Jadeja (I will trust Jinks on this and I don't rate Vihari at all and I cannot see another batsman in our squad. The worst thing to happen will be Shaw is retained and Rahul bats 6 if Vihari fails. I will be livid with that)
Ashwin (Ahead of Saha in the batting order please)
Saha
Shami
Bumrah
Saini/Umesh (I just don't trust Umesh and I think the track/ball to play Siraj is done. He should be given permission to holiday)

And just one more thing. Bumrah night watchman???? Are we really serious?

 

[SaiSrini]

I think for the Saha v Pant, we should now stick with Saha. Give him this full series or at least till we are in it. If we play Shaw again, we are actually harming him than doing him any good. Like with any cricketer, he's not as bad as the internet is making him out to be but he's not as good as he thinks and definitely not anywhere near as what our bright coach feels at this stage in his career. We are all grown up enough to understand that he is young and he has got to where he has with talent and it's just a question of whether he wants to truly get better or be an Umar Akmal.

The best thing to do to Shaw is to send him to the NCA under Rahul Dravid's watch and ask RSD for a detailed report on him whenever possible (including his attitude and fitness) post covid and then take his career forward from there. It is possible that Shaw plays at the MCG and clatters a double hundred but the long term future of his cricket with his mindset as of now and his skill set is destined for a sure shot crash landing.

The Jadeja conversation has me on the fence. He definitely is better than Vihari but I just feel we need 6 batters abroad and without Kohli I would not dare play a genuine all rounder. The only reason I would render this some thought is the fragile bodies of our bowlers. Bumrah and Ashwin give me the feeling of these vintage engines which when well oiled can make your ride feel like that of splendour but when it breaks down you almost wish you had taken a cab. Shami isn't a spring chicken either and Umesh is Umesh. He won't break down but he can win the opposition a test in a session. Basically, the opposite of Sehwag.

My XI for the next test is-

Rahul
Mayank
Pujara
Gill
Rahane
Vihari/Jadeja (I will trust Jinks on this and I don't rate Vihari at all and I cannot see another batsman in our squad. The worst thing to happen will be Shaw is retained and Rahul bats 6 if Vihari fails. I will be livid with that)
Ashwin (Ahead of Saha in the batting order please)
Saha
Shami
Bumrah
Saini/Umesh (I just don't trust Umesh and I think the track/ball to play Siraj is done. He should be given permission to holiday)

And just one more thing. Bumrah night watchman???? Are we really serious?

I can see why they sent Bumrah as the nightwatchman. Both Shami and Umesh have the tendency to lose patience and go for the mighty whack, thereby increasing the risk of losing their wicket. If Ishant Sharma was playing here, he would have been the nightwatchman. He has done that job memorably in the past. With him not available, they had to risk Bumrah. To his credit, he has brilliantly stuck it out there.

My only worry for MCG is, will India be ready to make as much as 3 changes to their XI from Adelaide? Kohli is a forced change and India has to do it. Maybe one additional change. But I have a feeling India will say "3 changes means we've done something wrong in the previous test" and won't opt for it. Its not wrong to change per venue/conditions and have 3-4 changes. I also feel Saha will get more tests now that he is in, more so likely with Jinks as captain. I am not averse to it, especially if batting gets easier as the series goes to the likes of MCG and SCG.

I am really excited to watch the MCG test this time. India under Rahane (I wish we could have Kohli the batsman under Rahane, but that's not happening). The last time I was so excited about an India vs Australia Boxing Day Test was in 2007/08 when Kumble was captain. My excitement levels get higher when calm/cool guys like Rahane, Kumble, Dravid, Dhoni captain India (I dont remember the Boxing Day test under Dhoni; maybe because that series we got blanked 4-0). Ganguly is an exception to this list, but he was one guy who was a "once in a blue moon" person who married aggression with enough class and composure and never crossed a certain line.