[am1m]

Well, whether we did 'go slow' deliberately/strategically or not in the Eng match, am looking forward to the Ban-Pak match!

Both are in a 'must-win-that' situation, the way Ban are playing this will be a close one, and there is enough history politically and cricket-wise there to always make it an intense match up. Should be pretty explosive! Also given the number of people with origins in both countries there in London, should be a great crowd too.

Originally Posted by PPS

Pant's inclusion was a huge surprise as Virat had claimed Shankar is one game away from that big score. Excuse given was he had a toe niggle, but then he was the official drinks boy during the game.

https://www.indiatvnews.com/sports/c...acement-531641

(It is possible for a player to be fit enough but not 'match fit'.)

[2000rpm]

We are missing Dhawan big time.

I pity Rahul. He is a changed player post the Karan Johar Episode. Even Hardik is, but in a good way. Rahul has gone the other way.

DK scenario is a wierd one, he is picked over RP but when it comes to match situation, RP gets preference over DK.

Also, we absolutely mis-read the pitch and were clueless during our bowling. England over used the cutters to their advantage. India not hitting any sixes is surprising. Shows the kind of pressure Rohit and Virat are under.

I seriously miss our old batting line-up. With Sachin Sehwag Dravid Kohli Yuvraj. Our old batting line-up with this bowling set-up would have been an ideal combination.

[vinit]

I really feel that yesterday was a tactical loss than a suffered loss. So many people are blaming Dhoni, but it all started from first ball of the innings actually. Dhoni is excellent at his calculations and he had his calculations absolutely perfect yesterday. He gathered as many runs as possible without throwing any more wickets.

This loss may look disheartening from the perspective of a standalone match, but in the context of the entire world cup this may very well prove to be a very smart move.

[Eddy]

Vijay Shankar ruled out of the world cup. Likely replacement = Mayank Aggarwal

https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/vija...om=home-livetv

[saket77]

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

We are missing Dhawan big time.

No doubt about it. Not having him in the team is a big setback.

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

I pity Rahul. He is a changed player post the Karan Johar Episode.

He didn't look fit enough when he came to bat after that injury that he sustained while fielding. He had a bad back for sure. In fact, India should take a look at other options for opening. He may recover but in my opinion, he still is not confident as an opener.

Agree that DK should be in the playing 11 to give the middle order some solidity which India is lacking badly. Hope that our average middle order is not tested in a critical match.

Originally Posted by Eddy

Vijay Shankar ruled out of the world cup. Likely replacement = Mayank Aggarwal

https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/vija...om=home-livetv

So, will India play him as an opener with KL Rahul going to no. 4? Indian Team is now probably back to drawing board or this replacement is a result of being back from the drawing board discussions

[ebonho]

Here's a "radical" idea (not).

I believe Pujara is in the top 3 Indian batsmen and has been for quite some time.

Are we doing a Laxman to him?

Cheers, Doc

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Why did Rishabh Pant get a berth in the playing 11 when there was already Dinesh Kartik available. This is clear favoritism which the team should not encourage.

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

I had the same question, the selection committee was never transparent which leads to dubious assumptions. When DK is available it makes zero sense to pick Pant. Mr. Pant was flown in like an emergency given the fact he has only played 5 ODIs in his career and averages a bare 25.

Originally Posted by Eddy

Vijay Shankar ruled out of the world cup. Likely replacement = Mayank Aggarwal

Two people in the country who can't figure out what they ever did wrong:

1. Dinesh Karthik - I wonder what the team management told him when they selected Pant over him!

2. Ambati Rayudu - First, a very average Vijay Shankar gets selected ahead of him, followed by Rishab Pant who has never cemented his place in the ODI team! Suddenly even an uncapped Mayank Agarwal has become a better batsman than him!

Originally Posted by ebonho

I believe Pujara is in the top 3 Indian batsmen and has been for quite some time.

Are we doing a Laxman to him?

Pujara most definitely is the modern day Laxman! Even I think he should have been given an extended run and thus prepared him for the World Cup.

[adi.mariner]

Another twist in the Vijay Shankar saga.
https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-new...ith-toe-injury
Why is Ambati Rayudu being neglected? Has he rubbed some high up people in the BCCI wrongly? And an uncapped player making his Debut in the World Cup. It's a dream come true for Mayank Agarwal.

[ValarMorghulis]

The reason Mayank Aggarwal is there and not Rayudu is because Aggarwal is in the list of backup players announced by BCCI, just like Pant was.
you can't willy-nilly name replacements.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

Pujara most definitely is the modern day Laxman! Even I think he should have been given an extended run and thus prepared him for the World Cup.

He is and has been ready for a long time now. This is England and not the flat dead track bully Indian pitches. He is the backbone of our test batting. He should walk into our one day team as a specialist batsman.

As we are seeing, our cupboard of batting talent is pretty bare when the going gets tough and we are under pressure by a good bowling outfit.

In these conditions Pujara is worth his weight in gold. To hold one end up and let the hitters do their stuff.

Cheers, Doc

[jayguar]

What is happening with the Indian team selection and management? First Pant was selected in the playing 11 ahead of Karthik and now Mayank Agarwal selected to replace injured Vijay Shankar ahead of Ambati Rayudu. Is Rayudu also injured? Strange decisions.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by ebonho

He is the backbone of our test batting. To hold one end up and let the hitters do their stuff.

Oh Doc, I think this shows we're from the same generation!

Before the WC itself I was boring my friends with the opinion that we would miss a Dravid-type 'sheet anchor' (I think that term itself is very dated!) player for that crucial match when our top 3 failed and we were facing a good bowling attack on a tough track!

And I'm a huge Pujara fan too. But I also think the game has changed a lot. More explosive players are certainly the order of the day.

[Eddy]

Pujara is not even in the contention because:

- no exposure to white ball cricket at all in past couple of years
- his brittle knees
- this was expected to be a 350 WC and he would have been a misfit anyway
- batting position. The top 3 are set in stone and Pujara cannot play any lower.

Coming to Aggarwal - he is the most like to like replacement for Dhawan. He will open, Rahul will bat at 4. Jadhav & Pant will compete for 6.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by am1m

More explosive players are certainly the order of the day.

The only guys who are scoring consistently are the genuine classical batsmen. That they are also explosive comes as an added bonus. But the core technique and quality is there (regardless of some flaws in Rohit's feet, he is lazy old school elegance).

Again we need to recall .... this is England.

Good to know about your vintage and impeccable taste in batsmen.

My all time favourite to this day is Dravid. Sachin comes 3 or 4 ...

Cheers, Doc

[tchsvy]

IMHO Shreyas Iyer should have been given an extended run for the number 4 position.

As far as yesterday's match is concerned, team management's mantra of letting the bowlers express themselves and not having proper game plans for individual batsman cost us the match, on the other hand England were prepared and set their plans, an express bowler like Jofra Archer bowled slower deliveries almost 80% of the time in death overs. When expressing themselves fails we need to have a plan to go to. When it came to batting, we simply lost the plot, started with 3 Woakes maiden overs, VK and RS tried to steady the ship only to depart at crucial juncture then Pant did what Pant would, HP tried a little, then it was all chaos with MSD and KJ, they had no clue whatsoever.

Regarding MS Dhoni, either you die a hero, or live long enough to become a villain! Call me stupid but I call him a hypocrite, keeping in mind how he ended few careers particularly Laxman's saying his fielding was below par so he doesn't deserve a place in the team and then Rahane's stating that he doesn't rotate the strike enough, despite both of them being decent enough batsmen to be in the team, now I question his role as a finisher, he hasn't been able to finish few games now, he quite clearly lost his touch, it's time for him to make way for younger talent, which he should have done before the WC keeping up the standards which he set for others. All said, one brilliant stumping and there will be memes questioning the MSD doubters, no doubt!

Lastly somebody said on other forums that MSD used to be tuk-tuk-bang-bang-bang, now he is tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-bang-tuk-tuk, him denying a single in the final over with 38 runs required of 5 deliveries was an icing on the cake.

Rant over!