New Zealand Tour of India, November 2010/11

[Chewie]

The signs from this test are that we basically have our batting lineup that could serve us forseeably quite a distance into the future. McIntosh has silenced his critics, but just needs to be a bit more consistant. Guptill is probably the only iffy spot but in a few years when Williamson moves to 3, there are a lot of good number 6s in the country to replace him down there. For once, it's the bowling that's the problem.

A good knock from McCullum though. 2 centuries from the openers in the same game, who'd have thought!

 

[SaiSrini]

India needs to bowl NZ out in Session 1. Highly unlikely given that the wicket is still friendly for batting and McCullum is still in there. Draw is the most likely option. After a great Australia-India series with two exciting results, this one is disappointing as usual (back on track, in a bad way!)

 

[War]

I'd agree; if aggression tends towards the norm, then it's surely less exciting when it happens. There must be a balance between risk and reward. If it's too rare that the bowling poses any threat, then any old mug becomes a hero.

But I don't think attacking openers are by definition hacks. Sure these days they seem to rely on carving and slashing everything through the offside, but they're creatures of their time. In the days before helmets, fast bowlers aimed high and even against the best of them, the really good batsmen played more hooks. On the same day Thomson was clocked at 99.68 MPH at the WACA, Roy Fredericks made 169 in 145 balls. Perhaps the key difference is the frequency; Fredericks was rarely so cavalier, but for Sehwag it's pretty much every day.

Quite a few batsmen could stand to earn that right to be aggressive. Sure, you can draw a massive line between Sehwag and the rest, but he's probably also the most one-dimensional of the lot. If everyone starts doing it, it really loses any meaning.

200% on point sir angy. First time we have agreed on something in a while i think.

Just a point of Fredricks innings @ Perth 1976. That is probably the only, modern Sehwag type innings where a batsman of the past smoked a quality pace attack on a bowler friendly pitch @ close to run-a-ball/more than run-a-ball.

Quality pace attacks in test history just aren't ever taken apart like that on helpul decks. Most of those blistering tons Sehwag has scored has been simply on flat decks againts joke attacks unfortunately.

Teams now given Sehwag success doing that at the top of the order (along with Hayden pre his Ashes 2005 revival) are more confident in trying players like Dilshan & McCullum as openers in tests, when if better new-ball bowling was consistently around - that would have never been considered.

But everyone can't do it. It requires some special abilities and skills.

Unfortunately the only skill & special ability Sehwag has shownn that clearly. Is that he can smoke attacks on flat pitches @ rate better than any other FTB over the last decade.

But i can certainly see the likes of Gayle, Dilshan, McCullum capable of matching Sehwag rate of scoring if they get a nice flat deck too. Just that they may not average 50+ doing it.

Tamim Iqbal also and Shane Watson if he decides to play a bit more aggressively.

Tamim yea. But not Watson. Watto looks a very compact opener who could survive in all conditions, no real technical flaws.

 

[Slowcoach]

Cue preparation of minefield for 3rd test.
Thank god it's not a 5 test series like the great drawathon between India and Pakistan of 86/7, or we would have 2 more tests of this turgid crap before they get serious and produce a minefield to ensure someone wins this damn thing.

 

[Params7]

The Kiwi's have done well to compete evenly with India for a 2nd consecutive test. Well done to McCullum Who would've predicted that all three of McCullum, Bhaji and Gayle would score tons today.

Well I could've predicted McCullum and Gayle but Bhajji was the odd one out. This is golden.

 

[angryangy]

Just a point of Fredricks innings @ Perth 1976. That is probably the only, modern Sehwag type innings where a batsman of the past smoked a quality pace attack on a bowler friendly pitch @ close to run-a-ball/more than run-a-ball.

Quality pace attacks in test history just aren't ever taken apart like that on helpul decks.

I don't know that the WACA was particularly bowler friendly, but such innings are few, for sure. How few, it's hard to say. I think maybe in the Golden Age, there were at the very least average attacks on very helpful pitches getting blasted. There were several noted free scorers in that era and while the stats aren't as consistently detailed as today, we do know for example that Trumper scored a hundred before lunch on the first day of a Test in which no team scored more than 299. In any era, that would have been a memorable start to a match, much less one that was wrapped up in 3 days.

 

[aussie1st]

Williamson what a gun, hes backing up his domestic form with a very good start to his test career. *Hint hint* Aussie selectors. If McCullum gets his 200 I hope he takes off and attempts 300 in quick time.

 

[-D-S-B-]

Two shockers from Taufel this innings.

Damn he was looking good for his second ton there, Williamson's an amazing talent that's for sure.

 

[Chewie]

Two shockers from Taufel this innings.

Damn he was looking good for his second ton there, Williamson's an amazing talent that's for sure.

If anyone, you'd expect Dharmasena to make those kind of calls. Williamson's dismissal was miles away from the stumps. Though he was let off very easily in the first match so that's kinda evened it out.

 

[aussie1st]

Not good when the best umpire in the game is also making mistakes. Hopefully can just put that down to a poor test than a reoccurring theme.

 

[TumTum]

Williamson looks suspect against the pace bowlers, we need to see how he performs against other attacks. Technically he looks very good, but I don't think he utilizes it to his full potential. Doesn't have the timing or placement from what I can see.

 

[Insomniac]

Now we know why Aleem Dar was ICC Best Umpire of the Year

 

[ZexyZahid]

I just started to follow this match and I see Vettori is out at this moment. I actually want to see McCullum get a triple century if New Zealand doesn't declare.

I am just hoping that New Zealand will set India a target and will try to win the match.

 

[Chewie]

There's no point setting a target when the pitch is a road and they have Sehwag. Might as well see how much McCullum can score.

Williamson is awesome.

 

[-D-S-B-]

Might as well see how much McCullum can score.

225, not too shabby. Finally our opening woes seem to be easing, hard to judge McIntosh after these two matches on roads, but the signs are good.