The Cricket Thread

[srishiva]

Yesterday Maninder Singh mentioned something interesting about Dhoni's field placement. His field placements are according to Dhoni's own technique (or lack of it) and hence is not suitable for spinners. Mr Singh has been saying this for last 2 years it seems

Will support and follow South Africa seriously from now on.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by srishiva

Will support and follow South Africa seriously from now on.

Even when they come to India ?

[Prodigyy]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

I only wish to make one point. I hope Sachin has the good sense to retire on a high, before he is kicked out of the team.

Sachin will never be kicked out of the squad or for that matter the playing XI ever. Even when he keeps going innings after innings for scores of under 25.

If the media can make a huge issue out of dropping of Sehwag, even though he was going through a very lean patch at that time, just imagine what would happen if Sachin is dropped or for that matter made to rest (without he himself opting for it)

Moreover, Sachin is like a hen that lays golden egg for the BCCI. Till the time India is playing in India, Sachin alone is capable enough to fill in half the stadium. With no Sachin the crowd at the stadium would probably be under 75% of what they are with Sachin there in the squad.

Its not as if Sachin would retire and someone would come in his place and take the world by storm. The onus is on Sachin to take a decision & rest assured, he would go once he feels the time is right for him to go, once he knows and is sure of the replacements.

[Eddy]

The squad for the third test has been announced. No changes, at least in the 15. Lets see what the playing XI is !

[msdivy]

India retain squad for Kolkata Test

4-0 England, same team. 4-0 Australia, same team. Now 1-1 so far and same team !
If Dravid & Laxman weren't retired, the batting line-up would be same for all 18 innings in losing tests...Dhoni is lucky to have survived this. Is it because of TINA factor?

Originally Posted by Oxy

Yuvraj and Sehwag should be nowhere near the test team. They need to stick to only ODIs and T20s.

Test is the only format Sehwag bats sensibly.

Or maybe Ashok Dinda in place of Zaheer, who I think is on his last legs as well.

Probably Dhoni meant the same, when he said, Zaheer Khan is the Sachin Tendulkar of Indian bowling

[Oxy]

There's absolutely no hope until the test team is completely overhauled.

Sachin just has to go. He is well past his prime. The sooner he realizes this the better for the team. An ideal replacement at this stage would be Manoj Tiwary who has performed admirably in the limited chances he has got in the shorter formats.

Yuvraj and Sehwag should be nowhere near the test team. They need to stick to only ODIs and T20s. I think Abhinav Mukund is worth an investment in place of Sehwag, and we can have someone like Unmukt Chand for Yuvraj in tests. Also I will give Ajinkya Rahane a go ahead of Gambhir, who clearly needs to get his attitude sorted out.

Harbhajan needs to be kicked out. Get in maybe Baba Aparajith instead. Even Amit Mishra/Piyush Chawla would be better options.

Dhoni too needs to be kicked out of tests. We don't need a specialist captain, and as a captain too, he has been horrible in tests. I'd give Dinesh Karthik a go instead and make Kohli the test captain.

Most people underestimate Sreesanth. He is crap in the shorter formats but is a pretty useful test match bowler. I'd be inclined to play him in tests. Or maybe Ashok Dinda in place of Zaheer, who I think is on his last legs as well.

The selectors really need to grow a pair and take these hard decisions.

EDIT: Just saw a couple of posts above. We are in a seriously hopeless situation.

[Eddy]

Abhinav Mukund and Unmukt Chand are a looooonnngg way away from test match class. IMO, as an armchair critic, here is the pecking order

Middle Order : Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tiwary, Robin Bist
Openers : Sehwag, Gambhir, Vijay, Rahane

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Abhinav Mukund and Unmukt Chand are a looooonnngg way away from test match class. IMO, as an armchair critic, here is the pecking order

Middle Order : Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tiwary, Robin Bist
Openers : Sehwag, Gambhir, Vijay, Rahane

Vijay is a massive flat track bully, he just cannot perform overseas. I don't think he would have been any good on this Mumbai wicket too.

It's high time we get Tiwary in. Don't know what the guy needs to do to be in the eleven.

Did you see the way Gambhir batted on the fourth morning in the Mumbai test? He didn't even make an effort to take most of the strike.

[Rufus_M]

Originally Posted by Oxy

Vijay is a massive flat track bully, he just cannot perform overseas. I don't think he would have been any good on this Mumbai wicket too.

It's high time we get Tiwary in. Don't know what the guy needs to do to be in the eleven.

Did you see the way Gambhir batted on the fourth morning in the Mumbai test? He didn't even make an effort to take most of the strike.

+1. Completely agree with you.

The selection panel has been unfair to Manoj Tiwary. With the limited chances he has got, he has performed well. Gambhir didn't even try to rotate the strike & was exposing Ojha to the English bowlers. Sad state of affairs in Indian cricket.

Bottomline is Indians love cricket & a good win is all it takes to forget the past :-)

[PPS]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

I hope Sachin has the good sense to retire on a high, before he is kicked out of the team.

I guess you haven't watched his interview on Times Now where he said that he finds it selfish when someone says one should retire on a high. He feels one should contribute to the team when one is on a high.
I feel he will retire sometime next year!

Originally Posted by Eddy

Middle Order : Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tiwary, Robin Bist
Openers : Sehwag, Gambhir, Vijay, Rahane

Once Tendulkar retires sometime next year i feel selectors will pick Rahane in the middle order. Also from what i have read he no longer opens for Mumbai, he now wants to bat in the middle order.
I don't really see Yuvraj Singh cementing his place in the Test team so there is an opening for Tiwary. But has Tiwary ever made it to the Test squad? He is always 12th man during the ODI's.

[mazda4life]

It was most painful to see the way GG batted with no intention to shield the lower order, come on that's not the right way to ensure your place in the team XI.

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by PPS

I guess you haven't watched his interview on Times Now where he said that he finds it selfish when someone says one should retire on a high. He feels one should contribute to the team when one is on a high.

What I meant was retire after a 'high' event, like world cup win. Being in good form is not 'high' - that is a requirement to be in the squad

Originally Posted by Prodigyy

Moreover, Sachin is like a hen that lays golden egg for the BCCI.

Thats true. BCCI can charge 100 crores more for TV rights just because Sachin is in team. If poor form continues, corporates will dis-associate from Sachin brand.

Originally Posted by Eddy

The squad for the third test has been announced. No changes, at least in the 15.

What is baffling is 2 out of form off-spinners in the team. A leg spinner would have added variety and more bowling options for the captain.

Originally Posted by joslicx

The problem with Indian team is not with batting. Its the bowling.

Indian spinners didn't adapt to Mumbai pitch. Kolkatta pitch, which offers less bounce & slow turn will help Indian spinners better. So bowling failed in 2nd test. Barring Pujara's double century, Indian batting has failed in last 10 tests.

[lloydofcochin]

Sachin is going to come back amongst the runs soon.

As Dravid said we need him there in the team very badly. If Rahane needs to come in it should be at Number 6. With all respect to Yuvraj Singh I feel that he is not Test class.

More than the Batting I'm worried about the bowling attack. Unfortunately without helpful pitches I don't see them bowling out any sides twice in a match. And even on a helpful pitch they came up short.

I feel that we need one of our great Spinners as a Bowling consultant ASAP. A former Aussie medium pacer is not an ideal Coach to assist our Spinners

http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-...ry/593834.html

[vibbs]

Apparently it seems Sachin had a talk with the selectors and is believed to have told them, ' I m not making runs, it's now your call'(As per Hindustan Times front page). Not that I expect them to drop him, but are we about to see a retirement announcement soon?

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by msdivy

Indian spinners didn't adapt to Mumbai pitch. Kolkatta pitch, which offers less bounce & slow turn will help Indian spinners better. So bowling failed in 2nd test. Barring Pujara's double century, Indian batting has failed in last 10 tests.

Thats the problem. We do not seem to give any importance to bowling. You say Indian batting has failed in last 10 tests, but what about bowling? If other teams can get us out for 300 odd why cant we? Obviously the track must be assisting bowlers (as we are certified flat track bullies) but still our bowlers couldnt perform.

Its high time people stopped worrying about Sachin. I do not really care if he is in the team or making runs or dropping catches or whatever. He has done it all and is now there as a passenger (or a guide maybe to the younger players) but it is now upto the younger players to rise up, show us they can make us forget the likes of Sachin, Dravid, VVS, Kumble etc. I do not look at Sachin now. I want to look at Pujara or Virat or Ashwin. There must be much much more talk of these players as they are the future of Indian cricket. Sachin will fade away inevitably.

And to repeat myself again, the selectors/captain SHOULD have the audacity to drop Sachin. If they dont have that, its not Sachin's fault. In any case I'd them rather worry about our abysmal bowling. Its a miracle we were top ranked test side once (shows you how flawed the rankings are!)