[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

...

Kya hogaya Iss bar!

The pants went a long time ago. It's a struggle not to lose the undies and get I&B ministry involved to censor the broadcast.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Yet another agonizing 30~50 run loss, anyone?

Correction. 230-250.

Don't expect anything serious changes though. The only glimmer of hope is the COA but I trust the powers-that-be at BCCI to make sure nobody spoils their party.

While Kohli-the-player has earned tremendous respect, Kohli-the-captain is yet to come of age. Very unfortunately, there's no one suitable who can take captaincy.

[Eddy]

What's this news of a fight between Kohli & Rohit Sharma ? Unfollowing each other on social media, it seems.

[PPS]

The kind of performance which our team gave yesterday is not a surprise especially after such a long tour. They just want to take the earliest flight back home.

Irrespective of whether KL Rahul gets a score today or not, he'll definitely be in the squad for the test series in Australia. There's clearly favoritism there in the team, some players are backed more than others, but they don't seem to deliver the performances.

After this result, all those statements by Kohli & Shastri boasting about how good the team is & how they're the best Indian touring side are looking stupid now & were needless in any case!

Hopefully, we won't see Dhawan in the test squad in the immediate future. Just like how wholesale changes were made in the squad after the Champions Trophy loss to Pakistan, i only see changes of such a scale after we lose a test series at home!

Originally Posted by Eddy

What's this news of a fight between Kohli & Rohit Sharma ?

Selectors somehow thankfully dropped him for this tour of England but I sense Rohit Sharma is going to make a comeback as an opener, maybe in Australia with Shastri singing 'he's too good a player to be left out'!

[Eddy]

If KL scores a 70-80 + today, he will most likely play the WI series. This gives him an easy pathway to Australia.

And I don't think Dhawan will play in whites any time soon now, so that slot will go to Shaw.

Rohit - no chance of him playing tests I think. He cannot open and the middle order has Vihari, Pandya and Karun Nair ahead of him in the pecking order, unless Mr Shastri has a brainwave like you said.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by Eddy

If KL scores a 70-80 + today, he will most likely play the WI series. This gives him an easy pathway to Australia.

And I don't think Dhawan will play in whites any time soon now, so that slot will go to Shaw.

Rohit - no chance of him playing tests I think. He cannot open and the middle order has Vihari, Pandya and Karun Nair ahead of him in the pecking order, unless Mr Shastri has a brainwave like you said.

KL should play till Australia series end. Can't get 2 great openers magically. Dhawan should make way for Shaw in an ideal logical world but knowing Kohli/Shastri dumbness I won't be surprised if Dhawan plays WI and Australia series too. It's hard to get rid of our famous ThighSlapper.

Match should get over by Lunch or by some miracle before Tea. And inspite of 4-1 I don't see any rational changes happening in coaching staff or players. We will annihilate West Indies at home and all will be well in Indian cricket world until we are again humiliated in Australia series. Rinse and repeat.

[Eddy]

And in the mix should be the A team wicketkeeper - S. Bharat. I hope he is a specialist keeper like Saha is (was ?).

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by harry10

We will annihilate West Indies at home and all will be well in Indian cricket world until we are again humiliated in Australia series. Rinse and repeat.

I hope we take WI lightly and lose atleast one test to them at home. Hopefully we play them at the Wankhede where we don't have a great record.

Anything that helps get rid of the leech Shastri before the world cup, else I fear we are going to lose to Pakistan come 2019. Our middle order in ODIs is even more laughable - Rayudu, Jadhav, Dhoni and Karthik. We are better off not participating in the world cup with this team.

Meanwhile, I hear Shastri and Kohli have been paid in advance till October 2018.

http://www.msn.com/en-in/sports/cric...3Zh?ocid=ientp

Please for heaven's sake, bring back Kumble.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by Eddy

If KL scores a 70-80 + today, he will most likely play the WI series.

I hope selectors rest him instead. And give a chance to both Shaw & Mayank Agarwal. Whosoever looks decent, should be preferred in the 1st Test against Australia.

And in the mix should be the A team wicketkeeper - S. Bharat. I hope he is a specialist keeper like Saha is (was ?)

Pant has conceded more byes than the runs he's scored! Not entirely his fault though, but his reactions seems to suggest its his fault.
Still feel Dinesh Karthik deserves another chance.

[Chetan_Rao]

It'a amusing how players who've been missing all series suddenly turn up at a dead-rubber game!

Doing just enough to justify the coach's 'we're very competitive' nonsense. Half this much heart in a couple games while the series was still alive, and the final tally would've looked much different.

[vibbs]

133 for no wicket in one session One session remaining 166 to get 5 wickets in hand.

Fancy an Indian win anyone??

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by vibbs

133 for no wicket in one session One session remaining 166 to get 5 wickets in hand.

Fancy an Indian win anyone??

Not anymore. Both the pillars are down.

[hemanth.anand]

England win Series 4-1.
Anderson 564 wickets becomes highest ever wickets by a fast bowler and highest ever wicket taker for England.
Broad equals Kapil dev with 433 wickets.
Cook scores a last innings century and goes out as England's highest run scorer.

Positives for India
Fast bowlers performed wonderfully well
They extended today's match till the last hour much against the expectations
Kohli scored 593 runs and never got out to Anderson
Rahul and Pant came good in a futile attempt. In a way it's good they couldn't save it because 1-4 may hopefully wake up the BCCI admins (unlikely IMO)

Otherwise the best visiting team in 15-20 years were not outplayed. Australia, be ready, we are coming to give a 3-1 gift (I had to end this like this)

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

It'a amusing how players who've been missing all series suddenly turn up at a dead-rubber game!

Doing just enough to justify the coach's 'we're very competitive' nonsense. Half this much heart in a couple games while the series was still alive, and the final tally would've looked much different.

Forget about Lords and even the Oval. If our batsmen cannot chase down scores like 190 and 240 (Edgbaston and Southampton), then we pretty much don't even deserve to play at this level. All it needed was application, staying at the crease, tiring the bowlers by leaving everything outside the off stump - some grinding old school test cricket.

This should have been a 3-2 win at the very least. Instead it's a 1-4 loss.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by vibbs

Fancy an Indian win anyone??

This is why Test cricket is what it is. The target of 450+ itself meant it will be a great outcome if India can play their hearts out to carve out a draw, but chances of that were very slim. However, today some people even thought a win may be possible , but not taking anything away from Rahul and Pant for the way they played. Sad that they couldn't prolong it to at least get that draw.

Test cricket goes largely by past history and stats don't lie. Very rarely one sees an unexpected result. Especially in 4th inning chases.

I hope our team management sincerely acknowledge their squad and playing eleven selection follies, make amends and move on rather than again defending themselves and being in denial mode. Scoreline of 1-4 will hopefully shut those loud mouths if sense prevails.

With the court appointed CoA, this must be the weakest BCCI and has given the captain and coach too much of control in everything. In the past the best an Indian captain could expect was to be 'consulted'/informed about squad selection, then during the Dhoni period it improved with him having a better involvement and now this where it is a one man army (captain) who chooses the coach, squad, playing eleven and everything else in between!