India tour of South Africa

[Satan666]

Can India play Cricket outside India?

No.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/21983006/dale-steyn-bowl-further-first-test-miss-rest-series

This is just sad. I can say this should be it for his career. Also what was the rush of playing him?

 

[Satan666]

Pandya aside the Indians have shown that they are still incapable of playing fast bowling. This series will define Kholi as a player and as captain.

This Indian team have not been tested by quality fast bowling, not even at home because the series against Aus saw guys like Starc not playomg plus the Indians manipulated the pitch conditions.

 

[Satan666]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/21983006/dale-steyn-bowl-further-first-test-miss-rest-series

This is just sad. I can say this should be it for his career. Also what was the rush of playing him?

What rush was there? Of course an Indian fan wouldnt want him to play! Steyn being injured is a significant blow and really one must question the fitness of opposing sides when playing against India! Apparently fast bowlers become mysteriously injure when up against them.[DOUBLEPOST=1515275303][/DOUBLEPOST]I find it sad Indian fans are happy Steyn got injured!

 

[namin96]

I don't know about India batting but if Kohli continues to bat the same for 1 more match fans make memes " Anushka should give divorce to VK "

Probably. He's the captain and he needs to perform. Where did all that pre-match talk go? If you can't back it up with your performance, you better keep your mouth shut. He's going to receive all kinds of memes if we lose the series especially because of the things he and Ravi Shastri said before the series began.

 

[namin96]

Pandya aside the Indians have shown that they are still incapable of playing fast bowling. This series will define Kholi as a player and as captain.

This Indian team have not been tested by quality fast bowling, not even at home because the series against Aus saw guys like Starc not playomg plus the Indians manipulated the pitch conditions.

I agree with everything you said, but "plus the Indians manipulated the pitch conditions". So? There is a thing called home advantage. What did England do to us in 2011 and 2014? In 2014, the last three test matches had ridiculous pitches prepared which just tipped the match in favor of their swing bowlers and those matches ended inside 2.5 to 3 days. What kind of pitches did you want India to prepare, hard and bouncy pitches that would give an advantage to the Aus bowlers? And no, we were tested a lot by good spin bowling from Lyon and O'Keefe, they were bowling excellent lines and lengths and we struggled till that 2nd day in Bangalore. Also, we already know about Kohli, he doesn't have good temperament when it's required the most; Eng 2014, Champions Trophy Final, World Cup 2015 Semi Final and he even flopped at home against Aus recently. He had the opportunity to lead the team and get a 100 in this first innings, but he hasn't learned anything about playing irresponsible shots early on in his innings. If someone like Pandya and Bhuvi can apply themselves for over a few hours, why can't he do that? If we get whitewashed, I believe he should be axed from the captaincy and they need to bench him just like he left Rahane out of this test match. Just cause he's a captain, it shouldn't mean he gets automatic selection.

 

[Satan666]

I agree with everything you said, but "plus the Indians manipulated the pitch conditions". So? There is a thing called home advantage. What did England do to us in 2011 and 2014? In 2014, the last three test matches had ridiculous pitches prepared which just tipped the match in favor of their swing bowlers and those matches ended inside 2.5 to 3 days. What kind of pitches did you want India to prepare, hard and bouncy pitches that would give an advantage to the Aus bowlers? Also, we already know about Kohli, he doesn't have good temperament when it's required the most; Eng 2014, Champions Trophy Final, World Cup 2015 Semi Final and he even flopped at home against Aus recently. He had the opportunity to lead the team and get a 100 in this first innings, but he hasn't learned anything about playing irresponsible shots early on in his innings. If someone like Pandya and Bhuvi can apply themselves for over a few hours, why can't he do that? If we get whitewashed, I believe he should be axed from the captaincy and they need to bench him just like he left Rahane out of this test match. Just cause he's a captain, it shouldn't mean he gets automatic selection.

So you basically admitted and agreed that India indeed manipulate pitches for home matches. Great. Lets move on.

I still think Kohli is overall a better batsman than Smith/Root, that being said for all three guys have not been tested too much by quality fast bowling.

Root failed in Aus against Starc and co and now we wait to see Kohli’s failure, flr what its worth I hope he bats well in the remainder of the series.

 

[zimrahil]

Dont have a hope for pandya, he is not a ideal test player.

After giving this careful consideration I respectfully disagree ..

 

[Aalay]

Although India are well behind in the game, at least they are IN the game and that is only due to Hardik. As I have so often said he is the x-factor that India were looking for. It is not easy scoring runs against this South African attack which I think is probably the best in the world right now when they are all fit because there is absolutely no respite for the batsmen. It's like they keep on coming one after another and the only loose end might be Maharaj who is also a pretty decent spinner. So scoring runs against this attack in this sort of conditions is always going to b challenging and he did that at a pretty brisk pace. Also bowled pretty well for a 5th bowler and got both the wickets to give us some chance in this test.

Shami even tough he looked better in this second inning doesn't look like he is running in. It's like that intent isn't there or maybe the fitness isn't there for him to keep running in.

Nothing much to say about anyone else. This is exactly why you need to come early to prepare for a tour as big as this. There was no way couple of net sessions would prepare them to face a bowling attack like this. I just wish if we can somehow survive this match, we will be in much better shape for the next match because the players will know exactly what to expect for next match. Chances are very slim of us surviving this match as we almost need a miracle to do so.

 

[Satan666]

Although India are well behind in the game, at least they are IN the game and that is only due to Hardik. As I have so often said he is the x-factor that India were looking for. It is not easy scoring runs against this South African attack which I think is probably the best in the world right now when they are all fit because there is absolutely no respite for the batsmen. It's like they keep on coming one after another and the only loose end might be Maharaj who is also a pretty decent spinner. So scoring runs against this attack in this sort of conditions is always going to b challenging and he did that at a pretty brisk pace. Also bowled pretty well for a 5th bowler and got both the wickets to give us some chance in this test.

Shami even tough he looked better in this second inning doesn't look like he is running in. It's like that intent isn't there or maybe the fitness isn't there for him to keep running in.

Nothing much to say about anyone else. This is exactly why you need to come early to prepare for a tour as big as this. There was no way couple of net sessions would prepare them to face a bowling attack like this. I just wish if we can somehow survive this match, we will be in much better shape for the next match because the players will know exactly what to expect for next match. Chances are very slim of us surviving this match as we almost need a miracle to do so.

Would you say Pandya played a luck and chance inns?

 

[Yash.]

So you basically admitted and agreed that India indeed manipulate pitches for home matches. Great. Lets move on.

I still think Kohli is overall a better batsman than Smith/Root, that being said for all three guys have not been tested too much by quality fast bowling.

Root failed in Aus against Starc and co and now we wait to see Kohli’s failure, flr what its worth I hope he bats well in the remainder of the series.

Not only India, every home team does. That is why they are called HOME TEAMS. They have control over the conditions of the pitch.

 

[Gopal123]

India are in huge trouble if they dont bowled SA for under 200.

 

[ParkedTheBus]

Don't get the overreaction about India (yet). They're still in with a very fair chance of winning this game, a target of 300-350 against a team which is a bowler short shouldn't be impossible. Yes their batsmen failed and the only guy who didn't was incredibly lucky but it happens when a team plays a game in new conditions without any match practice. Remember the batsmen didn't get out because they couldn't cope, it was because they threw their wickets away. Would definitely reserve judgements for another innings or two at least.

 

[Gopal123]

Don't get the overreaction about India (yet). They're still in with a very fair chance of winning this game, a target of 300-350 against a team which is a bowler short shouldn't be impossible. Yes their batsmen failed and the only guy who didn't was incredibly lucky but it happens when a team plays a game in new conditions without any match practice. Remember the batsmen didn't get out because they couldn't cope, it was because they threw their wickets away. Would definitely reserve judgements for another innings or two at least.

Yes you are right. I think our batsman could easily chase 250-350. I dont get why Rohit is playing like pujara, Defending every ball instead of attacking them like pandya did.

 

[aditya123]

Don't get the overreaction about India (yet). They're still in with a very fair chance of winning this game, a target of 300-350 against a team which is a bowler short shouldn't be impossible. Yes their batsmen failed and the only guy who didn't was incredibly lucky but it happens when a team plays a game in new conditions without any match practice. Remember the batsmen didn't get out because they couldn't cope, it was because they threw their wickets away. Would definitely reserve judgements for another innings or two at least.

Agreed. But most of the frustration is due to the fact that we have much better resources available at disposal and we chose the personnel least equipped to make an impact here. Rahul in place of Dhawan, Rahane for Rohit and Umesh/Ishant for Bumrah would make it a much mote solid test lineup. Also, the reason we are so downright dejected is because the guys playing in the XI are proven test failures overseas while those siting outside have a good record against high quality pace in testing situations. Rohit or Dhawan have never played anything close to Rahane or Rahul's efforts I will list below:

Rahane's hundreds at Wellington (2014), MCG, Lords and a near hundred at Durban came against the likes of Anderson, Broad, Boult, Starc, Johnson, Steyn and co. Even if you look at who stood out in tough situations at home or even in the tours to SL and WI, it was either him or Pujara in most cases. Those twin hundreds on a really tough wicket at Delhi, a really fighting second innings hundred at Colombo on a green track coming in with early wickets down. A couple of other hundreds in the Caribbean when others had fallen as well as a few really crucial knocks under immense pressure against Australia at home earlier this year. Its essentially that home series against SL where he failed and most of them were with the side trying to set up a declaration. Sharma might look a million dollars when there is no context to the game (exactly the situation in the SL series) and that is all there is to him.

Now coming to Rahul. The man scores 80s and 90s against an Aussie attack consisting of Hazelwood, Starc, Cummins and Lyon on some treacherous tracks which aided both seam and spin at home and also has hundreds on spicy tracks in the WI and SL to go with his maiden hundred at the SCG. He geta replaced after a streak of 8 consecutive 50s by a flat track bully in Dhawan who is a proven liability. We fans are not just speculating, its a really educated, logical point that makes Rahane and Rahul's inclusions a no-brainer.

Let me not even get started with Bumrah's inclusion. Yadav bowled some exceptional spells on dead tracks at home and had close to a dozen catches put down by our slip cordon. He got the most crucial breakthroughs at vital times against England and also cut through the Aussie batting a few months ago. Yet, a defensive back of length T20 bowler in Bumrah becomes our management's first choice.

We have the resources to run SA close in SA but if we keep selecting based on our captain's friendships, we will get whitewashed. Had these three played, at least one of them would have come good and we would have a much closer test right now. Knowing our captain and how big an ego maniac he and our coach arez I don't expect a course correction in thr next test either.