India's Tour Of Sri Lanka- August 2015

[PokerAce]

After the "alleged success" of the 5 bowler theory, I dont see Kohli reverting to 4 bowlers again. We did manage to get 20 wickets in every game.

And despite Pujara's brilliant hundred, Rohit did score in the second innings. Which might just blind the management towards picking him over Pujara

A match winning 145 unbeaten as a make shift opener on a day when none of the other top order batsmen could get past 30, vs a 50 on flat second innings pitch, where even Ashwin score more than Rohit.

How is it even a choice. Honest there would be a riot in India if Rohit starts over Pujara.

 

[Aalay]

Good series for India overall. It should have been 3-0 had it not been for that ugly collapse in the second inning of the first test. Team is shaping up nicely but some of the selection headache still exists. Opening combination will be an interesting point but it looks like Murli Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan will open against South Africa and KL Rahul as a reserve. With that brilliant century, it looks like Pujara will be back at number 3. Kohli and Rahane will be at 4 and 5. I don't see any point of having Binny but he is unfortunately "the best all-rounder in the country". I feel like South Africa will expose him and Rohit will be back at some point in the series. Also think Saha will be back as the frontline keeper. Ashwin and Mishra should start as the spinners. Ishant is banned for the first test so it is likely that Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav will be the pace bowlers.

Just when it looked like Ishant is getting some zip back to his bowling, he is banned for the first test against South Africa. Good start for Kohli but now he has a much better team coming to India. Even though South Africa is also in a rebuilding phase, they still have more world class players than Sri Lanka. It will be a very close series but hopefully India can win it.

 

[Epic]

^Honestly the question to ask is what happens to Rohit now. What excuse will the team management find to hide Mr. Talent, into the line up somehow. Vijay, Dhawan, Rahul, Pujara and Rahane have without exception performed better than Rohit. Also this is not an away series where the fans will not voice their discontent. Pull off something like Rohit ahead of Pujara there would be a riot in India.

Vijay Dhawan Pujara/Rahane, Kohli, Rahane/Pujara is the batting line up any day. The only way Rohit gets into the side is if they play 6 batsmen. WHich could be done, as India could see out the win with Ashwin and Mishra. Ishant kind of picks himself, which also realistaclly leaves room to play Binny as the second seamer. I think that could be a good side.

Vijay
Dhawan
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Rohit
Binny
Ojha
Ashwin
Mishra
Ishant

This could be the line up going into the first test vs SA.

Considering it is an home series against the best team in the world, I'd want rank turners if I were Kohli and the curators have been kind enough to award our team those in the last 3 years so I hope that will continue, but my point is we'll be better off playing a 3rd spinner than Binny.

Perfect Ishant is suspended right after playing well.

My XI given Ishant's suspension:

1. Murali Vijay
2. Shikhar Dhawan
3. Cheteshwar Pujara
4. Virat Kohli
5. Ajinkya Rahane
6. Wriddhiman Saha
7. Ravichandran Ashwin
8. Amit Mishra
9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
10. Pragyan Ojha
11. Umesh Yadav

Enough batting in that tail to make me not miss a 6th batsman.

 

[PokerAce]

^ Pragyan Ojha? Why?

I would personally go for Karn Sharma. He was phenomenal against SL last year in the home ODIs. He is clearly a guy who can perform in India on spin tracks. If not Karn then its also fine. However what is the point of bringing back Ojha from the wilderness. I would rather we tried out someone new. Even Axar would be preferrable to Ojha to be honest.

 

[abhi_jacko]

A match winning 145 unbeaten as a make shift opener on a day when none of the other top order batsmen could get past 30, vs a 50 on flat second innings pitch, where even Ashwin score more than Rohit.

How is it even a choice.

Not my choice !! Not even for a second. But there is a very good chance that might happen

Management speak before the first Test "We want someone who can really push the opposition on the backfoot and dominate the attack, and bring back the momentum with us. Rohit seems better equipped to do that. We want to play aggressive cricket"

 

[PokerAce]

^ I am telling you there will be riots if Rohit is picked ahead of Pujara. Also Rahane at 5 can counter attack as well if not better than Rohit. There is just no case whereby Rohit can get into the side ahead of Rahane.

 

[abhi_jacko]

^ I am telling you there will be riots if Rohit is picked ahead of Pujara.

LOL. I highly doubt the reaction will be that extreme. Especially with the commentary team justifying it to the best of their abilities

 

[Epic]

^ Pragyan Ojha? Why?

I would personally go for Karn Sharma. He was phenomenal against SL last year in the home ODIs. He is clearly a guy who can perform in India on spin tracks. If not Karn then its also fine. However what is the point of bringing back Ojha from the wilderness. I would rather we tried out someone new. Even Axar would be preferrable to Ojha to be honest.

I had completely forgotten about Pragyan's action rework... how is he bowling now, I went for him mostly because he was the only left arm spinner that came to mind and I thought he was pushed out the team with no real valid reason anywhere to be seen long before his whole bowling action fiasco.

Axar works as well, would strengthen the batting too, anyone know the latest on Jaddu?

LOL. I highly doubt the reaction will be that extreme. Especially with the commentary team justifying it to the best of their abilities

He means riots on the internet after which the world will spin into an all out meme war.

 

[abhi_jacko]

Ahh internet rioting. Fair enough. I will give you that

 

[War]

This was a weird series to follow as an outsider. Both teams have some glaring flaws in their test line-up that much more stable teams like a ENG/AUS/SA/NZ would easily expose.

 

[grkrama]

Stable and Aus , eng dont make me laugh, do both these teams have any sort of middle order.

That was the worst-est ashes i have ever seen, it was like watching 3yr kid boxing, were the toddlers fumble around trying to touch each other and somehow one falls down on the ground will stay there crying without getting up, that was all this ashes ever was.

After the first day which ever team got got down jsut stayed down getting pummeled with no fight back.

The only thing worth watching was joe root's century in 4th match.



The ind SL series was atleast like college teenage bout with aggression and one getting on top of another, there was fightback, and till that last session you wouldn't know the winner that's top cricket.

The last test was probably the most sporting wicket i have seen in while , had seam , swing ,spin and still also aided batsman who are disciplined.

IND-SA will be interesting.

 

[aditya123]

This was a weird series to follow as an outsider. Both teams have some glaring flaws in their test line-up that much more stable teams like a ENG/AUS/SA/NZ would easily expose.

SA and NZ I agree. Australia are anything but stable. Why is it that Australia`s failures overseas are considered alright but when India actually competed in Australia, SA and NZ and even in England for that matter they are tagged as hopeless? I`m not being jingoistic. I have criticized my side as much as anyone here but I still find this a little annoying.

If you look beyond the results, India have fared much better overseas than Australia and could`ve easily won 4 tests in those three tours had they held their nerves. Australia, on the other hand have anything but come close in any of their overseas tours. The pitches in this series in SA did have some spice in them and the third test wicket could have easily been a strip at Durban or Leeds. It had bounce going into the last day and had seam movement right through. Yes, both India and SL are young sides but I`m not sure the current Aussie side would`ve done better. Just because England and Australia compete in a high profile test series does not make performances in the Ashes the central aspect of cricket to every fan. Players who have succeeded in the Ashes and have failed elsewhere are many.

 

[PokerAce]

This was a weird series to follow as an outsider. Both teams have some glaring flaws in their test line-up that much more stable teams like a ENG/AUS/SA/NZ would easily expose.

I think all things considered, regardless of which of the teams it is, if the games are in the sub-continent, I think you will find India atleast, being able to cope with it. India now have the spinners that they didn't in 2011 to dominate teams in India in tests.

Also can you highlight some of the flaws.

 

[aditya123]

I think all things considered, regardless of which of the teams it is, if the games are in the sub-continent, I think you will find India atleast, being able to cope with it. India now have the spinners that they didn't in 2011 to dominate teams in India in tests.

Also can you highlight some of the flaws.

Except for Galle, these were`nt typical subcontinental conditions though.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Starting XI vs SA for first test

Vijay
Dhawan
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
N Ojha
Jadeja
Ashwin
Mishra
Bhuvi
Yadav/Shami (depending on the surface)