Sri Lanka tour of India - November/December 2017

[Yash.]

The reason on CricInfo about inclusion of Dhawan was that they need to see who would be Vijay's partner? Rubbish... That doesn't mean dont play Vijay

 

[LiveLoveABD]

The reason on CricInfo about inclusion of Dhawan was that they need to see who would be Vijay's partner? Rubbish... That doesn't mean dont play Vijay

That is a moronic reason. There is NO comparison between Rahul and Dhawan. All of Dhawan's runs in any format have come on roads against poor attacks. IMHO, he doesn't deserve to be in any Indian team. But, he will definitely play the 2019 WC.

Also, Vijay is coming in after a long lay off and needs some game time before SA. The only reason he's not in the team is because both the openers are good friends of Kohli.

 

[Ahmad94]

Looks like rain will make me lose a lot of vCash!

With the state of the pitch and the vulnerability of Sri Lanka, I feel there is still more than enough time in the game for a result.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

I think once we go to South Africa.. we really need to assess our options. This would be my side-

Rahul
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Nair/I Sharma (yes, I'd play 4 quicks)
Karthik
Jadeja
Kumar
Yadav
Shami

I feel someone like Dinesh Karthik at 6 really allows us to play 4 quicks. Bet Saha doesn't inspire that confidence.

 

[Yash.]

I think once we go to South Africa.. we really need to assess our options. This would be my side-

Rahul
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Nair/I Sharma (yes, I'd play 4 quicks)
Karthik
Jadeja
Kumar
Yadav
Shami

I feel someone like Dinesh Karthik at 6 really allows us to play 4 quicks. Bet Saha doesn't inspire that confidence.

It is obvious to play 4 seamers. Ishant can use his bounce well, while Yadav amd Kumar would swing it a lot. Shami is a top class bowler in almost every condition.

 

[Targaryen]

I just realised that I have stopped posting in Cricket Discussion . So, will be posting my views for both the days' play together.

Selection of Dhawan is clearly on the basis of friendship with Kohli and Shastri and his past performances in limited overs. I don't understand why he gets so many chances while the players like Nair who is absolute solid player for tests is not even considered in the squad. I don't have any complaints with bowling unit. It's looks quite balanced to me.

And we can't really expect Rahul to play all the time. He wasn't given an opportunity when he was in terrific form just to accommodate Dhawan in LO. Infact, he would've been the first player to score nine (correct me if it is wrong) consecutive 50s in world cricket if he did in this innings. Another theory for wrong opening pair would be the playing style (aggressive and defensive) which wasn't the case with Dhawan and Rahul. Both are aggressive but Kohli might've surely looked for right hand-left hand combination.

As the sunlight starts falling on the pitch, batting becomes easy. If Pujara and Saha hold the innings until sunlight, we can probably have 250+ runs as Ali said.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

This branding of 'aggression' with Dhawan in print and electronic media is a desperate attempt of the management to sow such seeds in the mind of a cricket fan. The fact of the matter is that even a leave can be aggressive, as can a defensive shot. If the 'branding' is associated with stroke play then I can lay my hat on the line and say that Vijay and Rahul are equally, if not better stroke players than Dhawan. But, there's a difference between attacking and being a lunatic and that's what Dhawan is. All his runs in LOI have come against poor attacks and on flat tracks. When the wicket and bowling is challenging, he's a sitting duck.

 

[zwarrior]

I think once we go to South Africa.. we really need to assess our options. This would be my side-

Rahul
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Nair/I Sharma (yes, I'd play 4 quicks)
Karthik
Jadeja
Kumar
Yadav
Shami

I feel someone like Dinesh Karthik at 6 really allows us to play 4 quicks. Bet Saha doesn't inspire that confidence.

I would continue with Saha. His wicket keeping skills is miles ahead of any other Indian cricketer. DK gives absolutely no confidence in keeping especially in Tests. Yes, he is better with bat and we can really use that in SA, but I would like to continue with Saha.

 

[Velocity]

Aren't we overestimating our bowlers here a bit? What's the weather forecast for the next 4 days like? Is it gonna be the same as now? I reckon batting will become easy as time goes by. So I think SL will be in a position to take advantage of that, wouldn't they?

If it stays overcast , the pitch will not change one bit, but I would think if the sun comes out the grass will burn away and it will become flatter, making it easier for the Sri Lankans in their first innings. I believe 200 will be enough provided the weather is like this.

Pujara is batting beautifully, isn't fishing outside off like the others and if he and Saha add 80 runs more we would be most definitely in a good position.

 

[Velocity]

I think once we go to South Africa.. we really need to assess our options. This would be my side-

Rahul
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Nair/I Sharma (yes, I'd play 4 quicks)
Karthik
Jadeja
Kumar
Yadav
Shami

I feel someone like Dinesh Karthik at 6 really allows us to play 4 quicks. Bet Saha doesn't inspire that confidence.

Saha is our best keeper. He is not bad with the bat either. Keep in mind he is not just a batsman, he is a keeper as well. Karthik isn't as good behind the stumps as Saha. Most likely I think Pandya will play alongside Shami, Yadav and Ishant/Bhuvi with Jaddu the lone spinner.

 

[SaiSrini]

Superb innings so far from Pujara. Playing like a pro in very tough batting conditions against a Sri Lankan attack that is boosted enormously by early wickets. If he can go on here to get a substantial score, it will be a massive shot in the arm for him as he prepares to carry India through the tough overseas tours that are upcoming. Pujara, Rahane and Vijay will be our backbone when we start our 'overseas challenge'.

Saha cannot and should not be replaced. He is the best keeper in the country easily. He is a test specialist and we need to use him like that. With his technique in both batting and keeping, he will be an asset for us in tests. He is not flamboyant and can be boring for an Indian fan used to flamboyant keepers like Dhoni and Gilchrist. But Saha will be mighty useful and has opened up in tests recently with good scores (bat) and he always keeps very well. Dinesh Karthik is the one who doesnt inspire confidence in test cricket. No wicketkeeper in India (except for Saha) inspires confidence for test cricket as of now.

I think once we go to South Africa.. we really need to assess our options. This would be my side-

Rahul
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Nair/I Sharma (yes, I'd play 4 quicks)
Karthik
Jadeja
Kumar
Yadav
Shami

I feel someone like Dinesh Karthik at 6 really allows us to play 4 quicks. Bet Saha doesn't inspire that confidence.

I will easily pick Ashwin over Jadeja, purely for batting reasons and yes, 'I am very serious'. When you go to tougher overseas conditions, Ashwin's non-flashy yet technically tighter batting than Jadeja easily will give him the edge. And in test cricket, flashy fielding makes much less of a difference. If I was Kohli, I will pack my side as much with technically sound batsman as I can. And I am not saying this as an Ashwin fan. Trying to be very imparti

 

[Bigby Wolf]

Wow Gamage has gone through the defences of Pujara perhaps the best he bowled this morning compared to previous spells in the past 2 days.

 

[zwarrior]

Pitch has eased up a bit. Wonder how we will bowl. These two should should just go for attack instead of defending and getting runs as it won't last long.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Superb innings so far from Pujara. Playing like a pro in very tough batting conditions against a Sri Lankan attack that is boosted enormously by early wickets. If he can go on here to get a substantial score, it will be a massive shot in the arm for him as he prepares to carry India through the tough overseas tours that are upcoming. Pujara, Rahane and Vijay will be our backbone when we start our 'overseas challenge'.

Saha cannot and should not be replaced. He is the best keeper in the country easily. He is a test specialist and we need to use him like that. With his technique in both batting and keeping, he will be an asset for us in tests. He is not flamboyant and can be boring for an Indian fan used to flamboyant keepers like Dhoni and Gilchrist. But Saha will be mighty useful and has opened up in tests recently with good scores (bat) and he always keeps very well. Dinesh Karthik is the one who doesnt inspire confidence in test cricket. No wicketkeeper in India (except for Saha) inspires confidence for test cricket as of now.



I will easily pick Ashwin over Jadeja, purely for batting reasons and yes, 'I am very serious'. When you go to tougher overseas conditions, Ashwin's non-flashy yet technically tighter batting than Jadeja easily will give him the edge. And in test cricket, flashy fielding makes much less of a difference. If I was Kohli, I will pack my side as much with technically sound batsman as I can. And I am not saying this as an Ashwin fan. Trying to be very imparti

I think no matter where we play, Virat Kohli is our 'backbone.' We won't win abroad unless he fires. I agree that the other 3 are more likely to do the job when it's decking around first up.

On Saha, he's got all his runs at home or conditions likewise. I don't think he has the technique to handle it abroad.

As for Ashwin over Jadeja? Ashwin might be the better batsman, but I want a spinner who can bottle an end up. Jadeja can do that in adverse conditions, Ashwin can talk about it. IMO, Jadeja is the better bowler overseas based on what we have seen so far in their careers.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

India have got 172. If we bowl to our potential, we should have a small lead.