South Africa's tour of India - October/December 2015

[themusketeer]

I feel like .........

 

[SaiSrini]

All I can say is - this phase of Indian cricket feels very similar to the end days of Saurav Ganguly's captaincy.

 

[surendar]

This is one series where I didn't feel frustrated of India loosing at home. In all the aspects, SA kept staying at the top of best standards without doubts and 3-2 is best way to finish this.

I am happy that we fought till the last game without giving it up considering we had so many weak points which could have easily resulted in SA whitewashing us.

Well done SA, you deserve this series win!! Indian pace bowling just reminds me of era where Mohanty/Harvinder Singh led the team with multiple embarrassing losses. Amen.

 

[namin96]

All I can say is - this phase of Indian cricket feels very similar to the end days of Saurav Ganguly's captaincy.

Please. Dhoni still has few years of cricket left in him. Also he has full rights to decide his retirement he doesn't need the media or the public to decide it for him.[DOUBLEPOST=1445815380][/DOUBLEPOST]Hopefully Ashwin is fit and ready to go for the first test. Kohli should look to play four spinners and one fast bowler considering how good SA are against pace bowlers. Also, Ashwin is like the only bowler who could probably trouble AB in our current team.

 

[Aravind.]

All I can say is - this phase of Indian cricket feels very similar to the end days of Saurav Ganguly's captaincy.

Yup exactly, now all eyes will be on Kohli & his test team. Btw Proteas deserved this win, we are lucky enough to have a final result of 3-2.

 

[Aravind.]

At least they gave a chance to Zak to give a farewell speech, but he deserved a much better farewell.

 

[Aravind.]

The way ABD bat's!

 

[Rehan_24]

Wonderful Performance by South Africa, this is like giving a delicious and unforgettable taste of defeat to the host's home soil. Remarkable performance by AB

 

[aditya123]

I`m not that disturbed by the series result as much I`m by the poor defensive team selection. Binny, Bhuvi, Mohit, Rayudu, Axar, Harby are all defensive selection choices. The guys who are always a game away from facing the axe are those who actually have the potential to be matchwinners (Yadav, Rahane, Mishra etc). Let me come to the bowling first.

These are true batting wickets. Most bowlers will go for runs. Even Steyn got hammered a lot this series but the only difference was he took wickets along with the hammering. That is what matters more in ODI cricket. I maintain that I would take someone like Yadav who can give me 3/70 over popgun bowling machines like Mohit/Bhuvi who can at best offer 0/63 on these good tracks. People will bite back asking what have Yadav, Aaron and Shami done to warrant a spot. Look at it this way. Have they been given half the cushion that guys like Ishant and Mohit have been given? Pick bowlers who can actually take wickets with the new ball. Mohit and Bhuvi are both first change middle-overs bowling material and should`nt be bowling in tandem. Opening batsmen would line up to face them.

Not having pace doesn`t automatically equate to having great control over your bowling. In fact we are picking medium pacers who just make up the numbers and yet go for runs without having any ability to take wickets. I would take the erratic, 3 wicket balls in 10 kind of a bowler in Yadav than this lot. We seriously are backing the wrong kind of cricketers. This is a kind of attitude that will take us nowhere.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

The very fact that people are alright with the series loss shows how sorry the state of affairs are. I want to point out a few things-

First and foremost, a very intelligent forum member here was saying AB de Villiers is very overrated- Well, I'd just like to highlight a few things-

AB de Villiers now has app. 8500 runs, at an average of app. 55 and a SR of 100. That's an average better than Hashim Amla's widely regarded as the most prolific run scorer as well as Virat Kohli and the recently retired Kumar Sangakkara. His SR puts him in an elite list which features the likes of Virender Sehwag and Shahid Afridi and we all know how consistently inconsistent they were in ODI's. Basically, you have a guy that's as consistent as Amla but scores as fast as those two. It screams, match winner and if anything he's very under rated. In my opinion, you are watching this generations Don Bradman/Viv Richards/Sachin Tendulkar.

Coming to India. There is a group of regular posters here, names I don't prefer taking, but we were probably the few people that believe MS has a bit left yet in the limited overs game but we all agreed that the time to quit captaincy had come. We've had a series loss in Bangladesh, a home series lost and if this is not evidence enough then nothing is. For all those saying that SA are an outstanding ODI side, you need to think again. Their batting lacks depth and they have a serious lack of spin bowlers. The only thing we can say for certain is that they have a once in a lifetime batsman in their team and a rapid fast bowling line up. Amla, Miller, Duminy, Behardein and Morris did practically nothing. India's problems were limited to "Rotating the strike aka Ajinkya Rahane."

The first thing that needs to happen in Indian cricket is a complete REVAMP of the selection committee. They're a bunch of clowns and it's testified by the lack of depth we currently have. When India won the WC in 2011, that batting line up had competition within the group and while it was a settled side, no one took their place for granted. At the moment, some people seem to have a lifetime contract to play in the starting XI while the rest of the group is happy to carry water and stay in good hotels and fly to exotic locations.

The second thing that needs to happen is a PROPER coach needs to be hired. It's unbelievable how India kept making the same mistakes again and again. Perhaps, someone can ask Ravi Shastri if the scoreline matters now? He can shout and tell us it doesn't but it does. He really needs to be fired. We need a humble, behind the public eye person who doesn't need to bask in the limelight to make himself feel important to the cause of Indian cricket. Shastri isn't the answer, Bangar might be.

Thirdly, MSD needs to give up the captaincy. There is a monotony about his ideas which someone as clueless as me can pick up. The opposition is smarter. His style has always been to choke opposition with spin and this was right down his alley and it still didn't work out. He however, is a vital cog in the limited overs set up.

Lastly, I'm not one to over react. I backed India even when we lost the WC but there is no pride in sitting on a dead elephant. The cricket team is a bit like that.

As for Sanjay Manjerekar? I think he was a better batsman than a commentator. Says a lot. If Star has any love for their fans they will get rid of him.

 

[CerealKiller]

you are watching this generations Don Bradman/Viv Richards/Sachin Tendulkar.

Absolutely 100% correct

 

[Satan666]

The very fact that people are alright with the series loss shows how sorry the state of affairs are. I want to point out a few things-

First and foremost, a very intelligent forum member here was saying AB de Villiers is very overrated- Well, I'd just like to highlight a few things-

AB de Villiers now has app. 8500 runs, at an average of app. 55 and a SR of 100. That's an average better than Hashim Amla's widely regarded as the most prolific run scorer as well as Virat Kohli and the recently retired Kumar Sangakkara. His SR puts him in an elite list which features the likes of Virender Sehwag and Shahid Afridi and we all know how consistently inconsistent they were in ODI's. Basically, you have a guy that's as consistent as Amla but scores as fast as those two. It screams, match winner and if anything he's very under rated. In my opinion, you are watching this generations Don Bradman/Viv Richards/Sachin Tendulkar.

Anyone using purely ODI stats to support an argument that a particular batsman of ilk to Richards/Bradman clearly dont know what he/she is talking about!

 

[abhi_jacko]

Anyone using purely ODI stats to support an argument that a particular batsman of ilk to Richards/Bradman clearly dont know what he/she is talking about!

Well, average 52+ in Tests with 21 tons. Home average of 48, Away average of 57. Equally good against pace and spin. Can attack, can graft as required. Fairly well rounded imo and definitely comparable to the legends

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Anyone using purely ODI stats to support an argument that a particular batsman of ilk to Richards/Bradman clearly dont know what he/she is talking about!

First of all, don't be so dismissive of an argument/opinion before hearing someone out. You and I both have a keyboard, neither is going to get a trophy for winning an argument, but perhaps I can learn something from you and vice versa. Also, being rude to support your opinion echoes weakness and frustration.

Secondly, I also compared de Villiers to Tendulkar because he does belong in that bracket. It may not be of convenience to you, but it's reality.

Thirdly, before posting what you did, it would have helped if you took a look at De Villiers test record. Runs everywhere in the world, against everyone in the world. He averages above 50, which is the benchmark I would have thought. Not to mention, he's done a fair bit of keeping. I think, Richards averages lesser than AB and it's not like AB is your average joe with 20 odd tests. The guy has played almost 100 tests.

More than any numbers, or any statistic, every generation there comes a player that captures the imagination of the world, breeches boundaries and explores a whole new world of possibilities that were unthinkable in an era before. Bradman did it, Richards followed, Tendulkar refined it and now De Villiers is redefining it's meaning. Batsmen who can win games alone from near impossible situations. The chap has made 30 runs in 250 balls to save a test and he has the fastest 50, 100 and 150.

Take a moment off, reflect on the guys achievements and may be when you've done that we can have a sane argument. Saying he only has odi numbers is way out of depth. May I remind you , he still has 3-4 years left.

It's easy to thank posts and pass irrelevant one liners to make it look like a competitive debate, quite another to actually feed off a discussion and take something away from it. Something my highly intelligent 'Ab de Villiers is over rated' friend can learn.

 

[Satan666]

First of all, don't be so dismissive of an argument/opinion before hearing someone out. You and I both have a keyboard, neither is going to get a trophy for winning an argument, but perhaps I can learn something from you and vice versa. Also, being rude to support your opinion echoes weakness and frustration.

Secondly, I also compared de Villiers to Tendulkar because he does belong in that bracket. It may not be of convenience to you, but it's reality.

Thirdly, before posting what you did, it would have helped if you took a look at De Villiers test record. Runs everywhere in the world, against everyone in the world. He averages above 50, which is the benchmark I would have thought. Not to mention, he's done a fair bit of keeping. I think, Richards averages lesser than AB and it's not like AB is your average joe with 20 odd tests. The guy has played almost 100 tests.

More than any numbers, or any statistic, every generation there comes a player that captures the imagination of the world, breeches boundaries and explores a whole new world of possibilities that were unthinkable in an era before. Bradman did it, Richards followed, Tendulkar refined it and now De Villiers is redefining it's meaning. Batsmen who can win games alone from near impossible situations. The chap has made 30 runs in 250 balls to save a test and he has the fastest 50, 100 and 150.

Take a moment off, reflect on the guys achievements and may be when you've done that we can have a sane argument. Saying he only has odi numbers is way out of depth. May I remind you , he still has 3-4 years left.

It's easy to thank posts and pass irrelevant one liners to make it look like a competitive debate, quite another to actually feed off a discussion and take something away from it. Something my highly intelligent 'Ab de Villiers is over rated' friend can learn.

Thanks for using Test cricket stats to support your argument, this is not the thread to be discussing this topic however. Maybe its a good idea to open a specific thread for the AB De topic, which myself together with others will discuss it further.

Also if I came across as being rude, accept please my apologies it was not my intention.