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

[PokerAce]

Good bowling from Tahir, he really knows how to get the tailenders. After Tahir was introduced, India have score only 80 runs. Why did Amla hold him back till India were 90/2?

 

[stefan]

Good bowling from Tahir, he really knows how to get the tailenders. After Tahir was introduced, India have score only 80 runs. Why did Amla hold him back till India were 90/2?

Can only think he was worried about leaking runs. Tahir should have come on earlier.

 

[stefan]

Actually I will disagree about that. I for one have been happy with the series being dominated by the ball instead of the bat, for a change. However had the dominance of the ball been on green tops with fast bowlers taking the wickets, no one would have complained. The same things happening only this time spinner taking wickets on spinning track, people seem to have issues.

There is seeming unwritten rule that a pitch must only turn on the 4th and 5th day. Why? Where does that rule come from? No one says the ball must swing only on the 5th day !

Also I think has more to with the fact that a dusty wicket gives the illusion of being an under-prepared wicket, what with all the dust and all. But a spinning track requires preparation as much as a green top.

That ball is spinning so much and the pitch coming apart, because it was made to be that way, and not because the curator forgot to work on it. The Curator made it a dusty spinner, and its not as if the pitch was not worked on, and instead the curator found a patch of ground, chucked some dirt on it and said, there ... thats your pitch.

A pitch regardless of whether its a spinner of a green top, requires work. Yet because of the dirt people think that pitch seems odd.

Either that or somehow its more fun to watch seamers take wickets than spinners, I dont know. However the same thing happening on a green top, no one would have said a word.

Both are bad for cricket as far as I am concerned and the same goes for flat road like pitches. You want a fair contest between bat and ball not something favoring either side too much.

 

[PokerAce]

Both are bad for cricket as far as I am concerned and the same goes for flat road like pitches. You want a fair contest between bat and ball not something favoring either side too much.

I agree this is a tad too tilted towards the spinners. But Mohali was fine, and Bangalore was fine too. So I think the stress that this entire series has been played on wickets that were too helpful to the spinners is a bit of a stretch.

Also every country has limitations about kind of wickets they can produce. India will never produce a wicket like Perth, no matter how hard the curator tries. Then the pitches will become just flat. So if India has to produce result wickets, they will just have to turn.

 

[grkrama]

why are we opening with ishant here

 

[aditya123]

With us going for such wickets, would Aaron/Yadav ahead of Ishant not be a better option. Ishant is`nt good with the old ball either and these are`nt tracks which have any seam movement.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

I think people in India have been obsessed with Dhawan's form that they have forgotten to take a look at Rahane. He seems out of sorts, more than Dhawan. India could have a decision to make about Rahane.

I personally would go with the same line up for the final test. The only change would be perhaps, the extra seamer instead of Rohit/Mishra depending on the pitch.

I'm certainly not obsessed about anyone apart from de Villiers but we in India are obsessed about our batting 'abroad' and Dhawan can't hold a candle to quality swing and seam bowling in India, let alone do that abroad. Rahane on the other hand has been India's best 'all conditions' batsman in tests, even ahead of Kohli. It's a daft comparison you're making. Dhawan might score a hundred for good measure in the next test, but once we go abroad we will be blaming the selectors as to why Rahul hasn't been groomed yet. I think Rohit Sharma was looking brilliant in the fourth innings and he simply ran out of partners. AT THIS POINT, he warrants a place ahead of Dhawan, at least.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

I want to get something off my chest about this whole 'pitch' drama.

1) I don't think this is a good test wicket.
2) It's not as bad a wicket as it's made out to be. It's certainly not in the 'fiasco' category ala the one in Mumbai a few years ago. Batsmen have just batted poorly.
3) People need to stop blaming India for producing such a wicket because we've faced the exact scenario when we travel. Tests get over in 3 days because it seams and swings so much. Graeme Smith, FFS, asked for a green top in a T20 WC match against India.

Now, I just want to elaborate on the first point. I think, test cricket is getting to the stage where the ICC needs to monitor the 'degree' of advantage the home side benefits from at certain venues on certain wickets. I'm all for 'result' pitches, but these are 3-4 day wickets and not 4-5 day wickets. I'd take this over a flat deck, but cricket is slowly moving to an avenue where a visiting team will simply be passengers. I didn't like the wickets in England on the past two trips and I don't like the wickets being dished out right now. It's pretty rich of SA to complain though. I remember watching the India batsmen in SA since the 90's simply coming to the crease to come on TV and leaving after cameos.

 

[PokerAce]

I know Faf was struggling at #3, but is Imran Tahir really the best replacement #3 batsman :P

 

[LiveLoveABD]

They should permanently put AB at 3. I think he has the game for it as well.

 

[stefan]

I know Faf was struggling at #3, but is Imran Tahir really the best replacement #3 batsman :P

Nightwatchman but have no clue why he is being used. Harmer would be a better choice...

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Nightwatchman but have no clue why he is being used. Harmer would be a better choice...

They both are sitting ducks. Jadeja and Ashwin will gobble them up. Don't see IT making it past this evening.

 

[PokerAce]

Nightwatchman but have no clue why he is being used. Harmer would be a better choice...

It was a joke obviously

 

[PokerAce]

You know if someone saw the game yesterday evening, and then went to office this morning, and didn't follow the game all day, and came back now and tuned in and saw Elgar and Amla batting (who were both batting yesterday evening), and didn't see the scorecard, he would think ... boy India are royally screwed here !

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Hahahahahahha [DOUBLEPOST=1448536593][/DOUBLEPOST]I really like Elgar's attitude. Proper fighter!