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Watching a crappy India Vs WI Test at midnight, the only thing more disgusting than watching Rahul fail again, was to see him waste a review on hope rather than anything else :Frustrati. He did the same against Afganistan and it came to bite us back. It most likely won't this time because if the gulf between two teams and it being a Test Match rather than a T20

I mean he was dead as a door nail, how could he possibly eat up the review, more in hope than anything else.

A lot of ex-players have recently been loathing about Rohit Sharma not making the Test team (again). KL Rahul is the new Rohit Sharma, except Rohit is atleast consistent in ODIs.

I am not sure what to make up of Shaw. I hope he performs well in Australia. Let's see how long a rope he gets once he starts failing. We should have also given a game to Siraj, looking at his form

I feel terribly bad for Nair, seems as if the team management does not want him, while the selectors do. Once you pick some, atleast give them a consistent run.

Except for Kohli and the bowlers (surprising for India), there's literally no one who has been playing well consistently enough to deserve their place in the playing XI.

This and the constant changes in the team have become a chicken and egg problem. Who knows - we might just implode soon.

The captain is setting two examples: 1) of a very consistent, strong player, 2) a flamboyant, larger-than-life lifestyle with a glamorous wife.

Unfortunately, a lot of his team mates are taking to his second example disregarding the first.

What a sham this test (mis)match is turning out to be!
It was expected that West Indies will be beaten but the magnitude of defeat seems to be heading towards something very huge now (94/6 in reply to 649/9 decl.).

So we keep beating all the lowly ranked teams, play most of these matches at home or in the sub-continent and retain the number 1 ranking, what a strategy!

The selectors should seriously consider resting half this team & fielding a second string team in the 2nd Test! Atleast that will ensure its a close game like the India-Afghanistan tie in Dubai.

Pertinent to this specific comment, The Hindu has a tongue in cheek remark, although misplaced as it specifically refers to Kohli (who hasn't been too bad outside India too).

Yes, this seems like the right opportunity to test the waters with all the fringe players in the squad, maybe even bring Karun Nair into the squad for a game, but then we're just hallucinating with such ideas! Our selectors, captain and coach obviously know better :)

https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-new...did-msk-prasad

With the whole Nair episode, it is clear that the team management and selection are not on par; and they are causing a very talented player to doubt himself. This team is being run like a fiefdom, which eventually results in camps. It is time the selectors nipped it in the bud.

I think the team management did an excellent job by not exposing Shaw to the English conditions and fast bowlers. He was given his debut match against a below mediocre West Indies team on a flat track - and the boy took full advantage of that. Congratulations to the teenager!

However, let's also hope that he doesn't go the Dhawan way when it comes to test cricket. Although the fact that he's just 18 may be looked at as an advantage, it could work against him too. I expect him to score some more runs against the Windies and book a ticket to Australia. That's gonna be the real test for him - Fail there and he'll most likely be made the scapegoat and axed! Let's hope that doesn't happen.

Also, farewell to Murali Vijay! 3900+ runs in 59 tests. You've had a good career, especially considering you've played domestic cricket for Tamil Nadu (and not Mumbai). In the same boat would be poor Karun Nair, who got a free European hoiday, and has now been asked to go home! The only mistake he seems to have made is that he hailed from another Southern state - Karnataka, with no big guns to back him!

Agree with you on Shaw.

Totally disagree that Murali Vijay has played only 59 tests on account of being from TN. And nobody knows what has happened with Karun Nair, so the regionalism debate is only speculation. Mind you- his replacement, Vihari, is not a big state player himself so....

Trivia:

Karnataka has given the third highest no of international cricketers to India (after Mumbai & Delhi).

What is with this thread and all the negativity all the time. West Indies have been doing alright since last few months. If they can't compete in subcontinent conditions it's their problem and not ours. I don't see you guys coming here and saying what a sham the test in England is when we were beaten badly in the Lords test where conditions were so much in favor of swing. No body said anything about home conditions when we were beaten 4-1 in England. All I could read was how great England team was.

We beat Australia 4-0 at home. Was it a lowly ranked team too? Somehow bashing our team has become a hobby even when we do good :Frustrati

I was genuinely congratulating Vijay for having played 59 tests in spite of being from Tamil Nadu. He's 34+ and I don't see him coming back into the team.

Rahane, Rahul, Pujara and Vijay are capable of batting better in Test cricket than Kohli. I feel that this policy of constant chopping and changing has made them insecure and not able to perform well.

You're right. Our seniors were exposed in 2011 tours.

Instead of playing multiple warmups in South Africa, we went had multiple series against SL to improve our rankings. I have no doubts that this team is better than many previous teams and we can be great travelers.

If BCCI cancelled this series against WI and let players have 2 four day warm-up games in Australia, I can guarantee that India would be very competitive.
I agree that WI are doing well for the past 18 months. But BCCIs planning of tours is such that we can exploit home (Asian) conditions to maintain #1 ranking instead of giving players good warm-ups to be competitive as tourists. Nothing wrong in using home conditions, but we're exploiting weaker teams.

Example:

1. Two series against SL in last half of 2017. We thrashed them comprehensively in both.
2. Widened the gap between #1 and #2 in Test rankings
3. As there wasn't time, didn't get good warm-ups in South Africa
4. Competed in South Africa. We could have won/drawn the series if our batsmen got adjusted the conditions by playing quality warm-up games
5. England series- the white ball games were considered 'warm-ups' by Kohli. He said something on the lines that English conditions will feel like home by the time the Test series starts.
6. Now- instead of playing quality warm-ups in Australia, we're sitting and thrashing WI

This team is capable of playing well(proved in many instances in SA and Eng), they need to get adjusted to the conditions.


I feel he should have been given one more chance. Nothing against Shaw though- he's a brilliant talent.

Got to watch the Shaw innings today and to me atleast he doesnt look like he will survive in seaming conditions. The footwork isnt very strong and a lot of shots were played away from the body. He is not as compact as young Tendulkar or Kohli. It will be interesting to see how he does in Australia (I will be present for the boxing day test match at MCG). The boy is still young and has a long long way to go.

Oh that is indeed the unsaid tone of this thread :)
I have tried suggesting a better course of viewpoint in the past (refer to below posts), but the majority seems to prefer to stick to the pessimistic view on the team.

@ninjatalli and harry10, we are an emotional lot. We want our team to win all the matches, all the time, at all places, under all conditions. Unrealistic expectation, yes; but that's how we are. It is a legacy that we have been bequeathed.

You will no doubt remember the times when we had nothing to celebrate other than our occasional victories on the cricket field. A Ganguly or a Laxman is not just a player, he is a personification of our own unfulfilled desires on the battlefields of sports. Like our family deities, we address them in the familiar singular (avanu as opposed to avaru), not the reverential plural. Was it not true that at a time cricket was our religion and a certain Sachin our God!

When emotions are involved, can you expect discretion?

Disclaimer: I am of course speaking for myself, for I have seen some stellar analysis, prediction and cricketing knowledge on this very thread.