***Official*** India in South Africa

[silentstriker]

Put down! Smith puts him down!

 

[Dravid]

Wow, count on smith to drop sitters

 

[adharcric]

Haha remember you were laughing at that suggestion yesterday.

Sehwag is not playing as an off-spinner. He's playing because a) Dhoni got injured and Karthik can open b) this pitch suits spinners c) this pitch might be easier to bat on. Sure, his bowling might be handy but that's not his main role here. Anyways, SS did dismiss Sehwag as a useful part-timer so you have a point there ...

 

[silentstriker]

Haha remember you were laughing at that suggestion yesterday.

I still am.

 

[silentstriker]

Sehwag is not playing as an off-spinner. He's playing because a) Dhoni got injured and Karthik can open b) this pitch suits spinners c) this pitch might be easier to bat on. Sure, his bowling might be handy but that's not his main role here. Anyways, SS did dismiss Sehwag as a useful part-timer so you have a point there ...

I didn't dismiss him as a useful part timer. I said Sachin might be a better option.

 

[Achtung Baby]

Karthik Should start looking to score.
He has made just 10 of the last 34 deliveries.

 

[Dravid]

Sehwag is not playing as an off-spinner. He's playing because a) Dhoni got injured and Karthik can open b) this pitch suits spinners c) this pitch might be easier to bat on. Sure, his bowling might be handy but that's not his main role here. Anyways, SS did dismiss Sehwag as a useful part-timer so you have a point there ...

Em, isn't this hte first time Karthik has opened in any kind of match? So how does that make him an opener ahead of the match.

 

[silentstriker]

Karthik Should start looking to score.
He has made just 10 of the last 34 deliveries.

He's doing fine.

 

[Dravid]

100 run partnership

 

[Dasa]

Em, isn't this hte first time Karthik has opened in any kind of match? So how does that make him an opener ahead of the match.

...because he has a decent technique and can be trusted to at least see off the new ball. Same reason why Dravid's name was thrown up when people were discussing who should open.

 

[silentstriker]

...because he has a decent technique and can be trusted to at least see off the new ball.

If we have someone who can see off the new ball with any sort of consistency, he should be the permanent opener. Runs from the top pair is secondary.

 

[Jono]

If we have someone who can see off the new ball with any sort of consistency, he should be the permanent opener. Runs from the top pair is secondary.

You can't permanently open a keeper. Imagine him keeping in India for 2 days on a flat track, and then coming in to open.

 

[Jono]

Put down! Smith puts him down!

As if Pollock wasn't pissed off enough already.

 

[silentstriker]

You can't permanently open a keeper. Imagine him keeping in India for 2 days on a flat track, and then coming in to open.

Play him as a specialist bat then. Note that I am not suggesting that karthik should be the permanent opener. But if someone can blunt the new ball consistently, then he should be the permanent opener. Obviously, Karthik has a long long way to go to prove that, but I'm just saying that as a point in response to what Dasa said.

 

[adharcric]

...because he has a decent technique and can be trusted to at least see off the new ball. Same reason why Dravid's name was thrown up when people were discussing who should open.

Exactly. Besides, Karthik volunteered to open in this year's Duleep Trophy matches (Irani perhaps) in order to help his chances for a national call-up. That experience certainly helped him out.

 

[Achtung Baby]

He's doing fine.

What i meant was let not jaffer do all the scoring. He might get under pressure . Remember when sachin and laxman were batting lax was just not even taking singles here and there and sachin was left to do all the scoring and eventually he started to look for runs where they weren't

 

[social]

Apparently Sehwag is down to bat at 7 but I'd put him in at the first wicket

Scores runs, he'll do it quickly and India will be well on top

Fails, who cares, it's still 2 - 100+

 

[silentstriker]

What i meant was let not jaffer do all the scoring. He might get under pressure . Remember when sachin and laxman were batting lax was just not even taking singles here and there and sachin was left to do all the scoring and eventually he started to look for runs where they weren't

He is still doing fine. They aren't under pressure to score runs at this point.

 

[silentstriker]

Apparently Sehwag is down to bat at 7 but I'd put him in at the first wicket

Scores runs, he'll do it quickly and India will be well on top

Fails, who cares, it's still 2 - 100+

Yea, I tend to agree. Dravid can come in after that if someone goes cheaply, to act as the stabilizer.

 

[adharcric]

Play him as a specialist bat then. Note that I am not suggesting that karthik should be the permanent opener. But if someone can blunt the new ball consistently, then he should be the permanent opener. Obviously, Karthik has a long long way to go to prove that, but I'm just saying that as a point in response to what Dasa said.

Jaffer and Gambhir should be fine for that role. Sehwag will probably return as an opener once he works out those kinks in his technique that we discussed yesterday. Of course, they could leave him down the order if Ganguly doesn't secure his spot.