Tournment Ends

[SaiSrini]

Maybe give Ishant the taste of Aussie wickets again and he will recover his memory back and stick with it better this time around. Zaheer, Ishant and Sreesanth can be a threatening bowling lineup. Remember Ishant's recent fall has been in ODI's and T20's, not tests. He played only one test in this series and he wasnt bad at all in that test (all bowlers struggled).

I still rate AUS a wee bit higher because I feel that their poor run co-incided with the retirements of their major players and now the tide seems to be turning. But even then, they are just a wee bit better, not by much. The battle between the two would still be very good enough.

 

[pcfan123]

It would definitly be close, when do we get to see the next Border Gavaskar?

 

[SaiSrini]

It would definitly be close, when do we get to see the next Border Gavaskar?

I think it will be in 2011 in Australia.

 

[aditya123]

On paper sure , but I think Australia is a much more disciplined and all round team than India.

The Aussie bowling is miles above Indias as is their fielding. Batting wise its a toss up in Test cricket. With Siddle and Johnson constantly improving and Sharma falling off the wagon (too early to tell if Sree's return is a flash in the pan or something substantial) Id back the Aussies to take 20 Indian wickets more than Id back the Indians to take 20 Aussie wickets.

The point is that Sharma, Zaheer and Sree have all been bowling on this docile tracks for sometime. I don`t remember a game where these bowlers have got a helpful track or a track with bounce and not delivered which is why I still maintain that we will win a lot more games in pace friendly conditions because it in a sense takes pressure off the batsman.
Each time they have had the oppurtunity to play on a track which had something in it for the seamers, they`ve outbowled the opposition. They are more skillful than these Indian pitches make them look like. Take Perth 2008, they outbowled Lee,Johnson,Clark and Tait or Jo`bur 2007 where they outbowled Ntini, Steyn and co. Zaheer and RP literally won us the Nottingham test in 2007. Zak, especially is yet to hit his straps after injury and I believe he is one of the most skilled swing bowlers in the world. Same is the case with Sree if he can keep up the discipline. I`m sure Ishant will be back if he works on it. The fellow is just a season old and he was bound to face some rough times.

That the Indian strength is spin bowling and they are good on Indian wickets is only a myth now. Its seaming conditions and our seamers along with our batsmen who have won a majority of test matches for us in the past couple of years. Even at home against Australia, it was Zaheer and Ishant who were the difference between the two sides.

You`d call me foolish but I have more faith on our seamers to win us games than I do on our spinners.
aditya123 added 2 Minutes and 48 Seconds later...

I think it will be in 2011 in Australia.

Yup. Our next big tour is to SA next December and then to England after the 2011 WC. The next Border-Gavaskar is in Nov/Dec 2011.

It is usually the immediate next season after the Ashes in Australia.

 

[pcfan123]

The point is that Sharma, Zaheer and Sree have all been bowling on this docile tracks for sometime. I don`t remember a game where these bowlers have got a helpful track or a track with bounce and not delivered which is why I still maintain that we will win a lot more games in pace friendly conditions because it in a sense takes pressure off the batsman.

Whose fault is that though? Your own captain/boards requests these dead pitches, its not as if they are forcing your lads to play on flat tracks.

 

[aditya123]

Whose fault is that though? Your own captain/boards requests these dead pitches, its not as if they are forcing your lads to play on flat tracks.

The BCCI are fools. Period.

 

[SaiSrini]

The captain doesnt ask for a dead pitch. He asks for minimal or no grass because lateral movement have always been Indian batsmen's weakness (its for most batsmen in the world). The Indian captain wants pitches that are classic Indian ones where they are good to bat initially and then slowly start helping the spinners in the end. Help in the first session depends on the moisture on the pitch (how early the start is, the temperature conditions in that particular city, etc).

Its the fault of the board. They think that having a test match last 5 full days results in greater revenue and so they prepare these pitches to last those 5 days, and invariably these pitches last 8-10 days.

 

[AshesXII]

guys Who is gonna win :laugh:laugh:banana2:banana2

 

[aditya123]

The captain doesnt ask for a dead pitch. He asks for minimal or no grass because lateral movement have always been Indian batsmen's weakness (its for most batsmen in the world). The Indian captain wants pitches that are classic Indian ones where they are good to bat initially and then slowly start helping the spinners in the end. Help in the first session depends on the moisture on the pitch (how early the start is, the temperature conditions in that particular city, etc).

Its the fault of the board. They think that having a test match last 5 full days results in greater revenue and so they prepare these pitches to last those 5 days, and invariably these pitches last 8-10 days.

Although we do manage a few collapses in between, we could trust our batsmen to bat decently even on these helpful wickets as we`ve showed a lot of times, be it Jamaica in 06, Perth in 08 or Jobu`rg or Nottingham or Headingley. Its time we start making seamer friendly wickets or two. It could backfire but its well worth the gamble.

 

[pcfan123]

Why the hell is Mendis still around, isnt he the biggest bunny in International cricket after Martin and Kaneria?

 

[aditya123]

guys Who is gonna win :laugh:laugh:banana2:banana2

The West Indies

aditya123 added 1 Minutes and 5 Seconds later...

Why the hell is Mendis still around, isnt he the biggest bunny in International cricket after Martin and Kaneria?

Even I cannot fathom that!

 

[AshesXII]

The West Indies

aditya123 added 1 Minutes and 5 Seconds later...



Even I cannot fathom that!

He is not like martin
he can stay for a while

 

[aditya123]

Although Zak has`nt picked up wickets or has`nt looked in great rhythm, we must understand that he is coming back after a major surgery. So the more bowling that he can get under his belt, the better for us. In a sense he has had a fair workout in these two games.

 

[pcfan123]

He is not like martin
he can stay for a while

Uh no. Have you ever seen Mendis bat? This is already the longest he has been at the crease, faced almost 10 overs, his previous longest stay at the crease was 28 balls.

 

[AshesXII]

Uh no. Have you ever seen Mendis bat? This is already the longest he has been at the crease, faced almost 10 overs, his previous longest stay at the crease was 28 balls.

Atleast He can Stay This much unlike martin

AshesXII added 0 Minutes and 27 Seconds later...

Sree Is Back now lets see what magic he does