[avingodb]

Nitish Kumar Reddy's selection now looks very defensive. He is someone whom Manjrekar would have liked to call a "bits and pieces player" who is not going to get wickets unless Aussies make mistakes or are trying to enforce a lead or something.

We need proper, skilled players rather than makeshift all-rounders. Also Siraj could have been rested for Prasidh Krishna. As the series has gone on, Siraj has looked tired and without genuine ideas of taking wickets.

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Kohli’s behaviour in trying to intimidate Sam Konstas was comical, and borderline questionable. But the criticism coming from the Aussies, Ponting in particular, is pretty rich honestly.

I so much wished the umpire would have handed over him a one match ban and pot bellied captain (sorry no body shaming) would ban himself somehow, so that I can see Jurel/Sarfarz in the last Sydney test.

[Shumi_21]

A late fight back led by Bumrah (who else?!) saw Aus finish the day at 311/6, collapsing from 237/2. The Aussie top 4 have all got 50+ scores too. Our top 4 need to match this performance when their turn comes.

Bumrah bowled 21 overs out of the 86 total. That's again almost 25% of the overs. Jasprit needed some medical attention to his left calf later in the day too. Rohit has to use Bumrah better or should I say the rest of the bowlers need to share the responsibility of taking wickets. Jasprit is magical, but even he can't be a strike bowler and bowl long spells on the same day.

I like Siraj and how he gives it his all in every ball he bowls, but he has been piss poor especially with the new ball. He's neither taking wickets nor containing the runs. Even today he went at 4.6rpo without ever remotely looking like taking a wicket.

[NPV]

Australia got 474, unless we get 400+ this looks like an innings defeat staring us in the face!
Australia have definitely outbatted India in this test, no way they’re losing from this position. Its going to be a miracle if we saved this one, god help us

Edit:Rohit gone playing yet another irresponsible shot, the slide is just round the corner I guess

[NomadSK]

What an awesome half cock shot played by our Captainji, I don’t know how he can be dropped from this team ?

But atleast KL is back in position as opener !!

[motorworks]

I think the idea behind Team India’s playing XI is wrong. In a test match against Australia, and in Australia you need to put your best foot forward.

Why have so many all rounders in the team? Its not a ODI or T20, right? We should have had 6 proper batsmen and 5 gun bowlers. I can understand the case for Jadeja, but Nitish Reddy and Washington Sundar cannot turn the game on their own, well there can be exceptions, but they are not there to play anchor roles in either Batting or a bowling. Before anyone says that Nitish Reddy batter well etc, i don’t disagree that he is a good replacement for someone like Hardik, but this is a Test match against Australia where you need any of the top 6 batsmen to be able to make a 100. And any of the 5 bowlers to take 5 wicket hauls.

Why do we leave out Sarfaraz khan who is part of the tour? He is supposed to be a middle order batsman, right? Give him the chance, if he doesn’t do well then we need to try out other domestic players who have come up thru the ranks.

At least for this match, they should have included Prasidh Krishna and probably Sarfaraz or Gill. If they fail then we all know they are not fit for overseas conditions.

Not getting in to discussions about Kohli or Rohit, if they dont get big runs in these last 2 matches, then i think at least one of them will walk away from the game.

And this is where we miss Ashwin. Im sorry to say, but we now lack a “pure” spinner. Its another fact that Ash could also bat a fair bit. And unlike some top batsmen who are hanging around, he still has a lot left in him. Its a pity that the indian think tank has pushed him in to making this decision. I hope we get someone of the mould of Ashwin / Harbhajan come thru soon.

[SoumenD]

Mr.Intent enjoys watching India batting from the stands more than being on the field for sure. What a downfall.

Like they say: Die(Retire) a hero or live long enough to become a villain.

We are effectively playing with 9-10 players at best. Both Kohli and Rohit’s performances seem to be screaming for a break at the least. Hope Kohli is able to channel some of that unwanted aggression with actual performance else this test seems tough one to survive with our fragile lineup.

[Jordygt500]

Absolutely loved the guts of Sanjay Manjrekar to call out the poor decision of promoting a 'big-name player' in bad form at the expense of a well-set opening partnership. It's refreshing to see a commentator openly criticize such moves rather than sugarcoat them.

Breaking a successful opening duo just to give a star player a chance to regain form not only disrupts team dynamics but also puts undue pressure on others. Decisions like these should prioritize the team's performance, not individual reputations. Kudos to Manjrekar for speaking up—his honesty is exactly what cricket commentary needs more of!"

[khanmaj]

Rohit was never a Test player and his statistics proves that. He doesn't deserve a place in the team.

The tour began with a dominant win in Perth, but as soon as he joined the squad, things started to fall apart. Don't be surprised if he shifts the blame to the bowlers for the series loss. This is what he does the best.

[mrbaddy]

Originally Posted by Jordygt500

Absolutely loved the guts of Sanjay Manjrekar to call out the poor decision of promoting a 'big-name player' in bad form at the expense of a well-set opening partnership. It's refreshing to see a commentator openly criticize such moves rather than sugarcoat them.

Breaking a successful opening duo just to give a star player a chance to regain form not only disrupts team dynamics but also puts undue pressure on others. Decisions like these should prioritize the team's performance, not individual reputations. Kudos to Manjrekar for speaking up—his honesty is exactly what cricket commentary needs more of!"

He called out Tendulkar too from 2011-12 tri series on looking for his 100th century. As much as i heard Sanjay's commentary he almost hits the right point. Only problem with him is his delivery of the same. Something about his delivery of the said points feels like he is dissing out and being disdainful (the hmmms and pauses and all that). That's what makes his commentary a bit cringy.

[antz.bin]

I doubt if even Ganguly when he was dropped when captain was this bad.

The year in which he was sacked as captain and dropped from the team (2005) his average was 25. Rohit's average this year is also 25.

If Rohit gets sacked, he won't even have a chance to fight back into the team. So I hope he quits mid series like Ashwin did.

[NPV]

And now some suicidal batting! Just when we seemed to be stable and with just about 15 minutes of play left, Kohli doesn’t respond to Jaiswal’s call for a run and gets him out. And then very next over, Kohli snicks one to the keeper and gone! Boom, this is Hara-kiri, unwanted and unwarranted to say the least!

Edit:Nightwatchman Akashdeep gone, familiar Indian batting collapse unfolding!

Pant, Jadeja, Nitish are getting in to bat within 30-35 overs of our batting in most tests, sad story of the top order Indian batting.

164/5 at close of play.

[rx100]

Expecting a night watchman to survive 5 overs, I am not sure what the management is thinking. Wrong team selection and mismanagement is the main reason behind our debacle so far. Like I said at the beginning of the series, we need bowlers who can take 20 wickets, then only we can matches.

[suhaas307]

Now watch our 10th wicket pairing somehow avoid the follow on, while the dressing room celebrates as though we have won the match.

Only this time we will not have rain to save us.

[It's Magic]

At 164/5, reaching Australia's total looks like a long way off. We need more than 100 runs just to avoid the follow-on. Do you think we can manage?

Unfortunately, this month, we are hoping to escape the follow-on rather than celebrating an actual win.