[msdivy]

Originally Posted by anand_hc

Any idea why BCCI planned to play it in neutral venue ?

To prevent such occurances - 'One of the ends was a green top, the other a dustbowl'

Faking news had a post after NZ loss - Team India getting nostalgic for home after yet another overseas series defeat.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by rsjaurr

However Dhoni should have tried Mishra for at least few matches in the previous matches.

Whenever once in a while Mishra gets a chance he bowls horribly & that makes sure he never stays in contention!

But out of Harbhajan and Ashwin, Harbhajan is better bowler than Ashwin when both are either out of form or inform.

I feel both are average currently! There was a very nice article in some newspaper of Ashwin's Coach where he very meticulously & confusingly mentioned what is wrong with Ashwin's bowling. He basically mentioned about the use of fingers & less of body movement which made him less effective.

[anand_hc]

Why is preference given to certain players like Raina, Rohit & Ashwin while the same yardstick does not apply to others. Why others have to perform in limited opportunities while above mentioned players get chances after chances..

Raina is bracketed in grade A contract & plays only ODIs & T20. Now a days not even certain in ODI.

Rohit got 100 chances before even succeeding in flat tracks & now on fast & bouncy pitches is returned to nohit wonder that he was.

Dhawan who came twirling his mustaches does not know what do with it now

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by anand_hc

Why is preference given to certain players like Raina, Rohit & Ashwin while the same yardstick does not apply to others. Why others have to perform in limited opportunities while above mentioned players get chances after chances..

Raina is bracketed in grade A contract & plays only ODIs & T20. Now a days not even certain in ODI.

Rohit got 100 chances before even succeeding in flat tracks & now on fast & bouncy pitches is returned to nohit wonder that he was.

Dhawan who came twirling his mustaches does not know what do with it now

Raina is a good finisher in ODIs. He should not be dropped, but should be used in the right position. Playing him at #4 is senseless.

Rohit and Dhawan are flat track bullies. No point playing them away from home. Ashwin too is a nothing bowler away from home. Jadeja or Ojha should be our first choice spinner for away test matches.

Why cannot Pujara open in ODIs? Or even Gambhir? With the World Cup an year away now, it's high time we try them out.

But all said and done, I think the BCCI is no longer interested in how we perform as a team. They only want to make more and more money. If performance of the team was a priority, Dhoni would have been sacked pretty long ago.

[vasudeva]

There is a CSK quota in the Indian team. As long as someone remains the BCCI head, that quota will remain sacrosanct, and there will be people who will remain untouchables. We will keep on losing abroad, bringing us back to the old bad days that were there till the late 1990s.

I have watched cricket since the early 1970s (first memory is of Viv Richards in Delhi in 1974-5). The present lot may score runs but they simply are not a joy to watch. Such a change compared with the four who retired over the last few years.

[pratyush6]

Originally Posted by Oxy

Raina is a good finisher in ODIs.

Rohit and Dhawan are flat track bullies. No point playing them away from home. Ashwin too is a nothing bowler away from home. Jadeja or Ojha should be our first choice spinner for away test matches.

Why cannot Pujara open in ODIs? Or even Gambhir? With the World Cup an year away now, it's high time we try them out.

Agree with most of the points, except Dhawan. I feel the guy has talent and can succeed even abroad. How can we expect him to do well when he has never had a taste of the conditions? Nohit Sharma on the other hand is India's most talented player (in the nets).

Honestly, with the ODI WC a year away, he have give CP (Cheteshwar Pujara) a long go at the top. We need atleast one calm and solid head at the top. Also, if the other openers fail this consistently then it's time to get in Gambhir back. He is too good a player to be kept out for go long (And he always scores in the crucial matches, it must count for something - The man has guts.

[Marauder]

Pujara would be ideal at No.4
I believe he should not open and Kohli is brilliant at 3. At no.4, if the top 3 fail he could lend solidity to the batting. Also,Rahul Dravid played at no.4,5 in ODIs.

Would somebody tell me what has happened to Manoj Tiwary?
He has scored runs whenever he has got the chance for India

[watfor]

Originally Posted by Marauder

Would somebody tell me what has happened to Manoj Tiwary?
He has scored runs whenever he has got the chance for India

Tiwary has been battling injuries for sometime now.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Agree with most of the points, except Dhawan. I feel the guy has talent and can succeed even abroad. How can we expect him to do well when he has never had a taste of the conditions?

He has no backfoot game. I am not sure he will be able to develop it enough quickly.

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Nohit Sharma on the other hand is India's most talented player (in the nets).

I have always felt (for the last 3-4 years) that Nohit lies at the exact border between domestic class and international class.

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Honestly, with the ODI WC a year away, he have give CP (Cheteshwar Pujara) a long go at the top. We need atleast one calm and solid head at the top.

I feel his current game isn't that suited to ODIs. He will have to jiggle it for ODIs. And that will screw up his test game.

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Also, if the other openers fail this consistently then it's time to get in Gambhir back. He is too good a player to be kept out for go long (And he always scores in the crucial matches, it must count for something - The man has guts.

He used to score in crucial matches 4 years back.

[pratyush6]

Originally Posted by carboy

He has no backfoot game. I am not sure he will be able to develop it enough quickly.

ok more than technique, a lot of the game is in my mind and I love the guy's attitude. He will develop, give him time.

Originally Posted by carboy

I feel his current game isn't that suited to ODIs. He will have to jiggle it for ODIs. And that will screw up his test game.

Have you checked his List A record? Please do, he is more than capable in ODIs. And he makes big centuries even there.

Originally Posted by carboy

He used to score in crucial matches 4 years back.

And he has not had many crucial matches since that I believe. Again, love the guy's attitude - he needs to get back in the side, he will be an even better player than before. The whole captaincy thing had gt into his head earlier.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Agree with most of the points, except Dhawan. I feel the guy has talent and can succeed even abroad.

He has failed miserably in the last 2 months! All he needs to work on is shot selection. He sometimes seems in a tearing hurry & what may work on Indian pitches won't work here.

Also, if the other openers fail this consistently then it's time to get in Gambhir back. He is too good a player to be kept out for

With the amount of times the regular openers are failing, Gambhir will be the go to man. But what is worrying is he hasn't scored many runs in domestic matches. We do not have any other option unless we force Pujara to open in ODI's!

Was shocked to read in today's TOI that Ten Cricket Anchor Mayanti Langer is married to Stuart Binny!

[Eddy]

Whoa, I have a slightly different view on a player like Shikhar Dhawan.

I think we need him desparately. Yes, he will fail on tours outside the subcontinent but we need a player like him to decimate the opposition in home conditions. Remember Sehwag was a BIG contributor to our home victories. We need a like to like replacement so that at least the home victories are safer. Which Indian opener (except Sehwag to a certain extent) succeeded in Australia, Eng & SA anyways ?

The destructive opener on subcontinent pitches is a crucial role, whether Dhawan can do it or we get someone else is a different matter. BUT we need it.

[pratyush6]

Originally Posted by PPS

He has failed miserably in the last 2 months! All he needs to work on is shot selection. He sometimes seems in a tearing hurry & what may work on Indian pitches won't work here.

Completely agree.
In the past you could afford to go and play a season of County Cricket and you would solve the problem, but now we play in the IPL, so that window is gone.

Originally Posted by PPS

Was shocked to read in today's TOI that Ten Cricket Anchor Mayanti Langer is married to Stuart Binny!

What you did not know? I mean I was shocked, but it's been a while now. Got to appreciate Stuart for the catch of his life

[Oxy]

How do you give away 500+ runs after winning the toss and bowling first on a green pitch? Our test bowling attack is absolute shambles.

I got up yesterday at 3:30 AM, tuned in, saw Zaheer's and Ishant's name in the team sheet, switched off the TV and went to sleep. Absolutely no regrets.

As much as England are declining now, I still see a 5-0 thrashing coming our way this summer.

[PPS]

What Ishant said at the post match press conference yesterday was far more interesting.
He was asked whether India lost intensity after lunch.
His reply, "I don't think so. You can see that we didn't let their run-rate go high at any point."

You put in the opposition to bat & get them 30-3 & at the end of the day you let them score 300+ total & then you make such an idiotic statement!

Also he kept repeating that he's bowling in good rhythm & its all about bowling in right areas which incidentally none of the bowlers did!