India's tour of West Indies - July/August 2016

[Akshay.]

And here goes Kohli
Why did he come at number 3

 

[abhi_jacko]

And here goes Kohli
Why did he come at number 3

Because we dropped Pujara (who would have been PERFECT for this position and situation) and because we will shield Sharma until the pitch has eased out for batting

 

[Akshay.]

Because we dropped Pujara (who would have been PERFECT for this position and situation) and because we will shield Sharma until the pitch has eased out for batting

Yes pujara was actually needed in this situation
He would have defended everything that the opposition threw at him

 

[Velocity]

Why Brathwaite? You need a captain with expierience, like Marlon Samuels or DJ Bravo or even Pollard. Brathwaite is still a young guy, he's finding his way into international cricket and I believe this will put more pressure on him.[DOUBLEPOST=1470754440][/DOUBLEPOST]

Yes pujara was actually needed in this situation
He would have defended everything that the opposition threw at him

And therefore frustrating West Indies and Rahul giving them a thrashing.

 

[zwarrior]

This is it for Sharma. He won't get much chance but when he gets the chance, he should utilize it just like Rahul did. And even though we have 5 bowlers, the tail looks decent with the likes of Bhuvi and Jaddu along with Ashwin and Mishra.

If Vijay was fit, he should have been in this match. Rohit and Dhawan coming ahead of him is not acceptable. Vijay is the main guy for us in Tests. I appreciate that Kohli is testing bench but he could have tested in last match. WI is high in confidence from last match. Hope these two put on a good partnership.

We should have just dropped Dhawan and brought back Vijay (if he was fit) and Bhuvi coming in for Umesh or Ishant and Jaddu for Mishra would have been ideal according to me.

 

[abhi_jacko]

I don't understand this testing the bench thing and I dont think that is the case - Pujara was dropped for Rohit

Plus why would you test the bench when the series is still open, and this is only the beginning of the Test season?

 

[Velocity]

That man Roston Chase strikes! Rahul out! 50! 77/3 I'm thinking India will make around 250 now[DOUBLEPOST=1470757739][/DOUBLEPOST]If Pujara played this match, then he would have batted out the overs and put less pressure on India and more on the West Indies. Rohit Sharma is talented but time to time he plays these brainless shots that gets him out and it makes you feel why Pujara is a better option at 3. Kohli at 3 was a terrible decision.

 

[SaiSrini]

Absolute nonsense. After having dominated the previous test for most part of the game, 3 changes at a time? This is extreme aggression which will probably not let people settle. You are unsettling Pujara, you are unsettling yourself by batting at No.3 (and it was a flop seeing how much Kohli scored this innings) and you have unsettled the bowlers too. If Dhoni is one end, Kohli is way towards the other end. Why can't someone find the middle ground?

Jadeja is a waste of time. A bits and pieces guy. How many chances have we given Mishra properly? A bad spell here and there and he is dumped? I thought Kohli went for aggression when he backed Yadav and Shami together. But now he has gone for a military medium guy, Kumar? Hope this is the learning phase for Kohli. He had the team in the previous test and ideally I would have continued with the same lineup for this test too.

Edit: There goes Mr. Rohit, for 9! At least Pujara would have stabilized even if he ate up only few runs.

 

[abhi_jacko]

People underestimate the value of EATING up balls in test cricket in this fast scoring era - it is the ultimate way to tire the bowlers and wear out the ball making the conditions better for batting and for other stroke-makers

Dravid used to be criticized for this invaluable service, and now Pujara is paying for this as well

 

[LiveLoveABD]

What utter bull crap team selection. The experimentation is laughable. Kohli saying he's building bench strength when we don't yet have a settled test side shows how much over analysis goes around these days.

I said this before the series and I will say it again- 'It is absolute lunacy that Rahul and Vijay are not our settled openers yet.' Being friends with Kohli helps I guess if you're Dhawan.

I'm okay with the bowling changes. Don't understand Pujara's exit. Certainly don't get Rohit Sharma playing. I like Kohli @ 3!

Vijay being dropped is a bigger story than Pujara!

 

[Aalay]

Even though I was surprised to see Rohit coming in, you have to say that he got an absolute beauty today.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Even though I was surprised to see Rohit coming in, you have to say that he got an absolute beauty today.

I get that. But, I don't get the hypocrisy. Kohli went on record and said that this test team is not so much about batting numbers and positions. Yet, Vijay is benched and Sharma is playing. It's outright BULLSHIT.

 

[abhi_jacko]

I get that. But, I don't get the hypocrisy. Kohli went on record and said that this test team is not so much about batting numbers and positions. Yet, Vijay is benched and Sharma is playing. It's outright BULLSHIT.

Wait !! Vijay is fit? and he was still not played?

 

[zwarrior]

Only thing bothering me is dhawan hasn't performed well consistently and he gets a chance to play while Mishra had one bad game and he is dropped ? Dropping Pujara was a horrible move too.[DOUBLEPOST=1470766743][/DOUBLEPOST]

Wait !! Vijay is fit? and he was still not played?

It's unclear whether he is fit or no. There is no news on that. But he did play for a long time in training session yesterday.

 

[abhi_jacko]

So Rahane basically had to do what Pujara was being blamed for - scoring at a SR of less than 30 to stabilize and then unfortunately got out