India's tour of Australia - December/January 2015

[IceAgeComing]

this pitch is very very shit

i wouldn't normally say that with india bowling but you can just tell that it is awful. Sometimes good batting wickets are fun to watch but only if there is something in it for the bowlers...

 

[grkrama]

This Sydney pitch is absolutely boring as of now.

its just typical sydney wicket will spin form 3rd/4th day onwards

 

[IceAgeComing]

haha Smith has scored more centuries in this series than Watson has in his fifty-five test career

 

[grkrama]

Its time we started bowling half volleys full tosses and half trackers full time, put all fielders in slips, these two need to get a move on..or declaration might be a long time way.[DOUBLEPOST=1420602376][/DOUBLEPOST]BK is going to be dust if this continues, kohlli vijay, rahul, all should roll their arms over and save bowler burnouts.

 

[grkrama]

we are yet to see the real batting of aus come up

 

[IceAgeComing]

harris and watson should swap positions in the batting order

 

[Aalay]

Hah GOLD!

 

[Epic]

Starc's been talking shit literally after every delivery too, there's Harris and then there's this twat.

 

[Aalay]

He was trying to impress the other twat with botox in the channel 9 commentary box.

 

[aditya123]

I have`nt watched a single ball of this test match but I would say that we have been pretty alright this series and over the last 4 overseas tours in general bar the results. In this series alone, rather than being too critical of our bowling lineup, we have had Australia at 200ish/5 many times, only to let their lower order get away. On the other hand, our top order has fared a lot better than theirs cumulatively but we have lost ground owing to poor lower order batting. We have to grant this side some time since Kohli is the guy with the most test match experience in this side. We have been far from disgraced. Every batsman including Pujara and Rahul now has shown the ability to handle pace and bounce. Our bowling attack has had its moments but poor consistency and some really crap slip fielding has time and again let things slip. Compare this to how other teams have fared overseas in tests where they have`nt even been in the game (Aus in UAE/Ind, SL in NZ, WI in SA). Our side on the other hand could`ve won both tests in NZ, one in SA and have been close to driving home the advantage in Australia many times.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Pretty sure no one defended Kohli for the sames reasons as Dhoni. SaiSrini defended him on totally different grounds

And pretty sure no one said dropping Pujara was an aggressive captaincy move :| (dumbest move of the series)

He has an agenda against MSD. It's not rocket science if you follow this board. He also has his favourites, like we all do. The only disappointment is that facts often aren't part of the agenda.

I have said this before and I will say it a million times over. Test cricket is a bowlers format, just like the limited overs is a batsman's format. The reason why India do so well in limited overs is because their batting resources are unlimited, specially due to the advent of the IPL. The modern day captain, is extremely over rated. It's the multimedia age, that makes his role look far more magnified than it really is. I'm not saying a captain can't make a difference, but he isn't the be all and end all of it.

My post has nothing to do with how Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni captain, or how astute they are in their strategies and decision making. My post, simply has a baring on how over rated the captain's role is. I am of the opinion, that Dhoni isn't the brightest pool of water when it comes to being a leader in the longer versions, but his critics took it too far. The reason he had to resort to the defensive tactics was because he had at his hand, a spineless, toothless attack. THIS is India's main problem. When you have a bowler playing more than 60 odd tests, at an average of 36 odd and is repeatedly picked because he's 'experienced' or because there's no one better around, it really does show how PATHETIC the state of affairs are. You can recall Steve Waugh, Clive LLoyd, Imran Khan, Mike Brearley or whoever you want as captain of the Indian team. With an attack like that, you are not winning test series abroad. May be the odd test. Not a series, not even tests consistently.

There's nothing wrong with Virat. There was not much wrong with MSD. We are just a hopeless test playing nation, with an absolute goon leading our pace attack for donkey's years.

 

[lion100lion]

Binny is a waste of space and I agree. I guess they didn't have enough faith in Bhuvaneshwar Kumar's batting to pick another bowler for Binny.

I would take him as a lucky charm. (of course he also can bat and bowl a bit )
Remember the England series ? Binny was there in Lord's match and was dropped for next 3 matches. We all know the results.

 

[PokerAce]

He has an agenda against MSD. It's not rocket science if you follow this board. He also has his favourites, like we all do. The only disappointment is that facts often aren't part of the agenda.

I have said this before and I will say it a million times over. Test cricket is a bowlers format, just like the limited overs is a batsman's format. The reason why India do so well in limited overs is because their batting resources are unlimited, specially due to the advent of the IPL. The modern day captain, is extremely over rated. It's the multimedia age, that makes his role look far more magnified than it really is. I'm not saying a captain can't make a difference, but he isn't the be all and end all of it.

My post has nothing to do with how Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni captain, or how astute they are in their strategies and decision making. My post, simply has a baring on how over rated the captain's role is. I am of the opinion, that Dhoni isn't the brightest pool of water when it comes to being a leader in the longer versions, but his critics took it too far. The reason he had to resort to the defensive tactics was because he had at his hand, a spineless, toothless attack. THIS is India's main problem. When you have a bowler playing more than 60 odd tests, at an average of 36 odd and is repeatedly picked because he's 'experienced' or because there's no one better around, it really does show how PATHETIC the state of affairs are. You can recall Steve Waugh, Clive LLoyd, Imran Khan, Mike Brearley or whoever you want as captain of the Indian team. With an attack like that, you are not winning test series abroad. May be the odd test. Not a series, not even tests consistently.

There's nothing wrong with Virat. There was not much wrong with MSD. We are just a hopeless test playing nation, with an absolute goon leading our pace attack for donkey's years.

Well Said. I was wondering yesterday how long before someone blames MSD's defensive tactics for India's abysmal performance. We lost a great leader in MSD, who is probably thinking good riddance. Virat in a few series will fare no better, unless the pace attack improves.

The sad thing is no one realises what is going wrong. No one wants the minor fixes, like understanding that the bowling is not good enough, and wait for a better crop of players to come along. Instead, always the captain must be blamed and sacked regardless of whether he was at fault or not.

 

[Jagar]

Starc seems to think strong body language is acting like Sreesanth.

 

[icyman]

He lends a decent option with the bat as well as the ball ? Since when ?

His domestic record is abysmal, both as a bowler and a batsman - List A batting average of 22. Has played 3 test matches in seam-conducive conditions, and has gone wicketless. Etc. Etc.

And if you have actually seen him bowl or bat, you will know that he is brimming with mediocrity !! His bowling is not at all suited to Aus conditions. Its a dumb decision through and through.

Saved the Test in England with 75 odd in difficult conditions.

As for decent option with bat and ball. Definitely over say a Umesh/ Ishant, none of whom can bat well. I'd put my money on Stuart Binny to come in and smack a few out of the stadium.

A close look at the team will show that Binny and Axar are the only genuine ARs in the team. Sir RJ has of late become a lead spinner for the team and doesn't really contribute much with the bat.

I would have liked to see Murali Vijay as a back up opener at least because he knows how to bat on the Australian pitches and he could be a good opener for us, but I think the selectors think his technique is more suited to tests which I can completely see.

Upsets the balance of the team. Especially with Rohit's reluctance to drop down the batting order, it becomes much more difficult for Vijay to be adjusted in the scheme of things.
Honestly, I'd prefer to see Rahane and Dhawan open as I am not convinced by 264 to that extent.