Team India may play more Tests, after all

[rahuldravidfan]

I think the point everyone is failing to take into consideration is that India has ALWAYS been trussed with Test Cricket. India loves the longest form of the game and its interesting to see that no one except for me has anywhere mentioned on the Forum that India had decided OPT OUT of the World T20 Cup in 2007, as we firmly believe that Test Cricket is the pinnacle of the sport and after extended negotiations and ...licking by people, we finally went into the World T20 Cup as one of the least prepared teams in the world.

India won the T20 World Cup and things changed, but India has traditionally been a Test Cricket powerhouse, so much so that when T20 was a rage in England, South Africa and Australia since 2003, India was still busy playing 4-day cricket. IPL came into World Cricket in 2008, 5 yrs after everyone had milked T20s.

Its surprising that everyone still doubts India's intentions. And the No.1 Ranking in Test Cricket really acts like a :doh in the face for everyone thinking likewise.

 

[drainpipe32]

The BCCI are the beating heart of test cricket. Without the BCCI cricket would just be a bunch of T20 competitions!

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

Read the article and hope to see India playing minimum 5 test leaving Confrimed India Newzealand and India Bangladesh Series

 

[Params7]

I'm not celebrating till its all confirmed. 3 Tests vs SA and Aus this year would be a dream come true.

 

[Cricketman]

If it's at home it would be a shame if we lost. I want to see how well we do abroad.

 

[pcfan123]

If the home Test series happen then that means India play SA and AUS at home in 2010 and SA AUS and ENG away in 2011. No better test for the number 1 team than that

 

[sohum]

If the home Test series happen then that means India play SA and AUS at home in 2010 and SA AUS and ENG away in 2011. No better test for the number 1 team than that

We're not playing Aus for tests next year. We're playing (potentially) South Africa at home and away in 2010. In 2011 we're doing Aus and Eng away.

 

[drainpipe32]

Until India beats SA they can't really call themselves number 1. Australia still has a hold on that, seeing as we won the last 1 vs 2 series.

Likewise, in ODIs.

 

[SaiSrini]

We're not playing Aus for tests next year. We're playing (potentially) South Africa at home and away in 2010. In 2011 we're doing Aus and Eng away.

I guess BCCI has sent a request to CA also (to get a few tests in and reduce the 7 ODI's to 5 or something).

SaiSrini added 2 Minutes and 4 Seconds later...

Until India beats SA they can't really call themselves number 1. Australia still has a hold on that, seeing as we won the last 1 vs 2 series.

Likewise, in ODIs.

We might have two chances at doing that (if the 2 tests vs SA at home is confirmed) and we also have an away series vs SA starting December 2010 and into January 2011. I think we have a good chance than before of beating SA, especially in SA. Our pace attack will like the pitches in SA (Zaheer, Sree and Ishant love pitches with spice and do better on those). And our batting should be able to do well on those pitches.

 

[mdoggie]

I read somewhere that CSA have to ask the Sponsers of the T20 domestic competition here in South Africa, Standerd Bank to postpone the semifinal and Final of the competition in order to be able to play the Test Series in India. They must have some kind of contractual obligation that the top players are available for the Semis and the Final.

I

We might have two chances at doing that (if the 2 tests vs SA at home is confirmed) and we also have an away series vs SA starting December 2010 and into January 2011. I think we have a good chance than before of beating SA, especially in SA. Our pace attack will like the pitches in SA (Zaheer, Sree and Ishant love pitches with spice and do better on those). And our batting should be able to do well on those pitches.

Your batsman may not like the extra bounce of the South African pitches. That has often been the probable for teams from the Sub Continent, they are not used the the extra bounce and it turns the bouncer into a deadly weapon.

 

[drainpipe32]

Yeah, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have always struggled to cope with the bounce here and in South Africa.

 

[aditya123]

Yeah, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have always struggled to cope with the bounce here and in South Africa.

Thats just a generalization. India have been a far better touring side than Sri Lanka and Pakistan, both of whom have been pretty pathetic when it comes to touring in the past 5 years.

Indian batsmen have enjoyed the pace and bounce on Aussie wickets and have scored heavily in their previous two tours to Australia. India`s previous couple of tours to Australia have been 1-1 and 2-1. Not a lot in it to suggest that our batting struggles there. Our last series in SA was 2-1 as well, to be honest we should`nt have lost at Cape Town where it was more of a subcontinent wicket or at Durban where we had SA at 250/8 on Day 1 and let them score 370-odd. We have won 1-0 in England, WI and NZ on our previous tours there. That is pretty much it when it comes to bouncy/seaming conditions.

On the other hand Pakistan lost 3-0 to Australia in Australia during their last tour, 3-0/2-0 to England while managing a 2-1 in SA (and are currently struggling in NZ).
Sri Lanka haven`t toured SA for sometime but they lost 3-0 the last time they did tour SA and were whitewashed 2-0 in Australia.

Its pretty unfair to bunch us up with Sri Lanka and Pakistan who have actually struggled a lot more in bouncy and seaming conditions. India on the other hand have a very solid overseas record since 2000 (almost the same as SA and second only to Australia).

 

[drainpipe32]

The experienced batsman don't struggle, but younger ones do. In the ODIs players like Manoj Tiwary and Rohit Sharma took a while to start scoring because of the bounce.

In the test side it has all been older players in recent times.

 

[Cricketdude]

. India`s previous couple of tours to Australia have been 1-1 and 2-1. Not a lot in it to suggest

Wasn't the 1-1 where Mcgrath and warne were injured or something.

 

[aditya123]

Wasn't the 1-1 where Mcgrath and warne were injured or something.

Warne has never been successful against India, and he was`nt injured or anything (he was serving his doping ban).. However McGrath was but even with McGrath and Warne in the side,Australia lost in 2001. Although Warne and McGrath were missing from the side in the 2003 series, I don`t think any other side in world cricket would`ve done as well against the Aussies in Australia. We`ve been the only side to consistently challenge Australia since 1998, except for the 3-0 whitewash in 2000 (but that was a pathetic side then). Its almost been a even head to head between India and Australia since then and I don`t think any side in the world boasts of it. SA may have won in Australia last year but they could`nt buy a win against Australia when they were at their peak (16 wins in a row). SA could`nt even win at home against Australia for quite sometime. We take far too much credit away from India. They have been quite brilliant against Australia. Don`t forget, Australia may not ahve had Warne or McGrath in the side in 2003 but still had a batting lineup of Hayden,Langer,Martyn,M.Waugh,S.Waugh,Ponting and Gilly! Their bowling was`nt the worst either with Lee,Gillespie (at his peak) and Brad Williams (who was bowling quite okay), McGrill (he was as/more successful as Warne against most other sides).

aditya123 added 11 Minutes and 55 Seconds later...

The experienced batsman don't struggle, but younger ones do. In the ODIs players like Manoj Tiwary and Rohit Sharma took a while to start scoring because of the bounce.

In the test side it has all been older players in recent times.

Even most experienced batsmen from other top sides have struggled. SA, for a long long time could`nt win a test in Australia at home or away because their batting struggled. Pakistan have lost like their last 10 tests to Australia and they had Inzy,Younis and Yousuf in their side a lot of those times. Sri Lanka , similarly have lost about 10 tests straight to Australia as well and they have have a very experienced batting lineup as well. It shows that the Indian seniors have adjusted a lot better to the bouncier conditions than their counterparts from the other subcontinental sides.