India tour of New Zealand 2020 - 5 T20Is, 3 ODIs, 2 Tests

[CerealKiller]

Shardul Thakur always struck as an average bowler, tbh, at least in ODIs. Can’t quite understand his selection. Obviously Bhuvneshwar would play alongside Bumrah and Shami when fit, with Deepak Chahar and Saini on the bench. Can’t really see a place for Thakur, even though he does have good T20I numbers.
New Zealand have shown that reaching the World Cup final wasn’t a fluke or anything. Apart from the second opener’s slot, they’ve really built a stable batting lineup. Hopefully Taylor will make it till 2023, he’s a brutal player when on song. Latham’s progress as a keeper has been really good too, and CdG is really underrated, as are Neesham and Santner. However i think Southee shouldn’t be an automatic selection anymore, when you have Boult, Henry and Ferguson, with CdG, Neesham and Santner supporting them.
I think Latham should open, and Mark Chapman should be given a shot at number 5, and if Latham finds the burden to be excessive, Nicholls could open and Latham could go back at 5, although i feel he is wasted down the order.

Guptill
Latham
Williamson
Taylor
Chapman
CdG
Neesham
Santner
Henry
Boult
Ferguson

 

[SaiSrini]

This was expected to happen when you're playing against a World Cup finalist in their home conditions. Very questionable team selection today led to this defeat! First of all, I feel KL Rahul should open when either Rohit or Dhawan are not playing. Gives us that experience right at the top for fast runs at the start. I know Rahul batted brilliantly today even in the middle, but a better start gives an even bigger platform for a bigger score. If Rahul had opened with either Mayank or Shaw, Pandey could've played in the middle order and maybe India might have scored 360+. Next, I cannot understand Kedar Jadhav's utility in this ODI side. He is not used anymore as a bowler and his batting doesnt inspire the confidence for a slog hitter coming in when you have to go ballistic to add as many runs as possible to the total. His technique is just so ungainly and I am just perplexed as to what the likes of Kohli (for India) and Dhoni (for CSK) see in him to keep him in their respective sides.

Third, I think Thakur is OK for a T20 game where batsmen have to go after you and you have chances of picking up wickets. But in ODI's where batsmen have more time to play you around, Thakur falls short big time. His batting utility is underscored higher in T20's but for an ODI, we either get Bhuvi or Chahar in the XI and have them play. If both of these aren't available, we just give up on Thakur's batting and use Saini who is far more attacking and far more accurate.

 

[Bigby Wolf]

Well a you can't win games if you drop a catch of bloke who went on to score a match winning hundred.

Taylor dropped by Kuldeep on single digit proved to be the turning point.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

That is incredibly hilarious coming from a Rohit Sharma fan brother!

Do you know that this actually seems to be an immature statement coming from an experienced member on this site ? I am not a blind fan to support someone blindly. Didn't I say I have accepted that he doesn't belong to Test Cricket ? Now if he did perform when he got a chance to open then it is not anything that I did in that. So what I support him ? I have been an ardent Indian Cricket fan before Rohit Sharma even settled in the Indian team. Right now I just care about India being a dominant force in world Cricket even if that is at the cost of ending his Test career.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Do you know that this is actually seems to be an immature statement coming from an experienced member on this site ? I am not a blind fan to support someone blindly. Didn't I say I have accepted that he doesn't belong to Test Cricket ? Now if he did perform when he got a chance to open then it is not anything that I did in that. So what I support him ? I have been an ardent Indian Cricket fan before Rohit Sharma even settled in the Indian team. Right now I just care about India being a dominant force in world Cricket even if that is at the cost of ending his Test career.

Don't put a spin on things. How do you know Rahul won't be able to make it as a test cricketer? You don't. I don't. And I am the last person to envy Rohit. I think now he deserves his chance as test opener, but when he was given the opportunity, there were a lot of other people who were in line for the same. Also, a huge factor of difference is that Rahul is a proven performer in test cricket in spin friendly and swinging and seaming conditions. Rohit was not. Rahul is 25, Rohit is 32. And the big big thing they have in common is that just like Sehwag and Warner, two sessions of these guys batting and the test match is over! THAT is what Rohit & Rahul bring to the table.

And I am ignoring all that immature sh!t. I don't want to get into all that.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

I will keep saying what I have been weeping out pre 2019 WC.

We desperately need to adapt a strategy of 6 bowlers in T20 and LOI. Because Pandya is unavailable at the moment, Jadeja is good enough to bat at 6. If he can bat 6 in a test, he can bat at 6 in LOI and an idiot will tell you how many leaps his batting has made in the last 2 years. Kedar Jadhav, like Dhawan has a brittle body and he has had enough chances now without showing proper pedigree unlike Dhawan. He's not bright on the field and again, his fight for that spot is with the likes of Pandey and Pant both of whom are better.

Rahul
Rohit
Kohli
Iyer
Pant
Jadeja
Pandya
Kuldeep
Bhuvi/Saini
Shami
Bumrah

And thank god Iyer has got a ton!! He is a must in LOI and in my opinion a future captain!

 

[Bevab]

I would go with Saha instead of the second spinner, i think you have to go with the best keeper. Ashwin or Jadeja can definitely cover whatever weakness Saha has with the bat. Pant could play as a specialist batsman at 6.

That is the most likely scenario, with Vihari in instead of Pant. Saha right now bats like a number eight and Jadeja ahead of him is most logical. I don't think Ashwin can cover the weakness of Saha given that his own batting prowess seems to be on the wane. This automatically forces the inclusion of Jadeja who hasn't been as good as Ashwin with the ball in recent times. The only other alternative would be to go with Jadeja at six like in home games but that would put enormous pressure on the top five to make a significant score.

KL Rahul has centuries in Australia and England which Rohit doesn't. There comes a time in everyone's career where they simply break through and scale to different heights. I absolutely agree now with Rohit being given the chance to open and since he's injured KL Rahul absolutely deserves this opportunity.

Strongly disagree with this. Rahul coming back straight into the test side would be like England giving Bairstow another opportunity in the whites. Their tales seem eerily similar to an extent. Started out as good test prospects, retooled their technique to become white ball stars at the expense of losing what made them good test prospects. He has been in formidable form right now, but I wouldn't want to ruin it at the expense of a test opening spot when we have two Ranji stars knocking on the door steadily and two highly talented, once in a generation talents for the same spot.

Third, I think Thakur is OK for a T20 game where batsmen have to go after you and you have chances of picking up wickets. But in ODI's where batsmen have more time to play you around, Thakur falls short big time. His batting utility is underscored higher in T20's but for an ODI, we either get Bhuvi or Chahar in the XI and have them play. If both of these aren't available, we just give up on Thakur's batting and use Saini who is far more attacking and far more accurate.

This!

Thakur works in T20Is because our other bowlers aren't really expensive on most days which means that batsmen just have to go after him at the risk of losing their wickets. Quite similar to how finger spinners lacking variations still work in T20s.

As for the Rahul debate, I don't want him to be doing the dual role of backup opener and middle order keeper batsman. I personally believe he has been very good at five and it has been a problem area for a while now which is easily solved by Rahul's presence there. It also allows Rahul the time to get his eye in by rotating the strike to accumulate with the odd boundary instead of wasting deliveries in the powerplay. Unlike in T20s, Rahul hasn't usually been flying out of the blocks in the ODI powerplay. Him batting at five would also lessen the workload of his now that he is the keeper. Another player who has thrived in a similar role is Buttler and if Rahul can come close to that level of consistent performance, I would gladly take it. It also allows us to play Dhawan (I don't think he has massively declined, he was never a great T20 player and judging him based on his performances there isn't fair) who is a naturally aggressive player complementing Rohit. If not Dhawan, we will always have a plethora of openers who have all impressed for the A team and deserve more chances.

 

[Bevab]

New Zealand have shown that reaching the World Cup final wasn’t a fluke or anything. Apart from the second opener’s slot, they’ve really built a stable batting lineup. Hopefully Taylor will make it till 2023, he’s a brutal player when on song. Latham’s progress as a keeper has been really good too, and CdG is really underrated, as are Neesham and Santner. However i think Southee shouldn’t be an automatic selection anymore, when you have Boult, Henry and Ferguson, with CdG, Neesham and Santner supporting them.
I think Latham should open, and Mark Chapman should be given a shot at number 5, and if Latham finds the burden to be excessive, Nicholls could open and Latham could go back at 5, although i feel he is wasted down the order.

Guptill
Latham
Williamson
Taylor
Chapman
CdG
Neesham
Santner
Henry
Boult
Ferguson

Funnily, Nicholls is a middle order batsman playing as a makeshift opener while Latham is an opener batting in the middle order due to his workload. Dropping Nicholls would be very harsh on him, he was in scintillating form in domestic games and deserves an extended run. Southee isn't actually a first team player in ODIs these days thanks to their management realising that Henry has always been the superior bowler in ODIs.


Fair play to Roscoe, he got a lot of stick for failing to take NZ home in the T20Is but the ODI version of him is a different specimen all together. I wish he remains till 2023 too but I don't think his reflexes or fielding skills are going to last that long, he will be 39 by that time. Will always be known NZ's greatest ODI batsman without any doubt unless Williamson takes his game to another gear.

Wonder how long will Guptill's rope last, he has been disappointing for months now and his place in the side should be in question. Latham switched gears very well today and it took me by surprise to see him play so aggressively. In the long term, they need to look towards getting Conway, Rachin and Young in alongside Chapman, Seifert and Blundell. Most importantly, they need a good spinner to complement Santner (Sodhi is not the man in ODIs) and a long term replacement for Boult.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Strongly disagree with this. Rahul coming back straight into the test side would be like England giving Bairstow another opportunity in the whites. Their tales seem eerily similar to an extent. Started out as good test prospects, retooled their technique to become white ball stars at the expense of losing what made them good test prospects. He has been in formidable form right now, but I wouldn't want to ruin it at the expense of a test opening spot when we have two Ranji stars knocking on the door steadily and two highly talented, once in a generation talents for the same spot.

As for the Rahul debate, I don't want him to be doing the dual role of backup opener and middle order keeper batsman. I personally believe he has been very good at five and it has been a problem area for a while now which is easily solved by Rahul's presence there. It also allows Rahul the time to get his eye in by rotating the strike to accumulate with the odd boundary instead of wasting deliveries in the powerplay. Unlike in T20s, Rahul hasn't usually been flying out of the blocks in the ODI powerplay. Him batting at five would also lessen the workload of his now that he is the keeper. Another player who has thrived in a similar role is Buttler and if Rahul can come close to that level of consistent performance, I would gladly take it. It also allows us to play Dhawan (I don't think he has massively declined, he was never a great T20 player and judging him based on his performances there isn't fair) who is a naturally aggressive player complementing Rohit. If not Dhawan, we will always have a plethora of openers who have all impressed for the A team and deserve more chances.

Rahul has more talent in his little toe nail than Bairstow can dream of. I look at Rahul as a very refined version of Rohit Sharma and eerily similar to Abraham Benjamin de Villiers. In fact, their career trajectories are eerily similar. For the longest and most painful time, de Villiers was batting out of position because of stalwarts in the side. After a very promising start, both lost their way but once AB figured out his game his growth was steeper than any cricketer I've seen or read about. I never saw Richards bat, but my father did and he only says that beyond that Tendulkar redefined LOI batting and after that de Villiers. I can't comment on Richards, but I am totally with him on the latter two and while he isn't so passionate about the game anymore I see Rahul in the same bracket! High praise? I say you will see. I was shocked to see how much Sanga and AB were able to enhance their games once they dropped the gloves and I see the same happening here. I do not want to waste an all format player to waste him by putting gloves on him and keeping him out of tests. Also, India play a heck of a lot more LOI than SL or SA.

Just like you're feeling that any opener can replace Dhawan if need be, I always think attacking and I am not interested in Rahul plundering 50's in the end. I am looking at him as a blue chip who can make centuries for fun. I'm also almost convinced of Dhawan's injuries. You can see his track record and see how many he has had in the last year and the 50 over WC is ages away!

As for his return to tests? Monka is irreplaceable. It would be idiotic of anyone to suggest so. I would have definitely liked to see how Rohit fares in these two tests but since that's a done thing, I would always always get Rahul in for him. You'd be surprised at how big a role confidence plays in cricket. Rahul feels like he can do anything at the moment and that's a very very powerful thing. Not to be repetitive, but he has got tons in Aus and Eng in tests and accompanied with his new mojo, I could have just seen things coming full circle finally. From an argument perspective, I do get your point.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

How do you know Rahul won't be able to make it as a test cricketer?

Lol, I didn't even say anything like that. Don't assume things for yourself. I just said that as of now he doesn't find his place in the Test team which everyone agrees to. And do hell that comparison. I am not even bothered about it.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Somewhere I fear an error from our great skipper of continuing to play Shardul saying that he performed well in the T20I series off late and is a handy batsman down the order. I think India should know that their bowling wins a lot of matches for them these days and they need to have their best bowlers playing in their team and not someone like Thakur just because he bats better. If Kedar Jadhav isn't going to bowl for us then he is better being benched and Pandey should be playing because we have seen how well he is able to strike the ball in the T20Is batting at 6. He would get more time to bat as well compared to the T20I matches. Definitely a better option to try.

 

[Bevab]

Another day, another NZ collapse.

 

[asprin]

The title on espncricinfo read "Taylor key with red-hot Jadeja all over New Zealand". I looked up the score and saw Jadeja has figures of 1-35 in 10 overs. While it's impressive as far as economy is concerned, can't help but feel misled into believing he would have had more wickets than that

Shardul Thakur is still being persisted with. Seems like he is a Kohli-favourite. Agree pretty much with all others who feel he is best suited to T20 and not ODIs. Saini coming in was a good move even if it was at the expense of Shami.

 

[asprin]

Oh and yes, forgot to talk about the T20I series. While I don't have a high level of interest for T20Is, the fact that India blanked NZ 5-0 is worth commending. The only downside to the series was the shoddy fielding on show. Let's hope that doesn't get shadowed by the clean sweep that India achieved and much thought is put into it.

 

[Bigby Wolf]

Shardul Thakur is horrible in death overs. If India intend to play him in ODIs they should finish off his quota before 40 overs.

Meanwhile great batting from Ross Taylor he has been brilliant lately with a bit of luck favoring as well dropped again this time by Iyer.