***Official*** India in England

[pasag]

Yeah, Zaheer has improved a lot lately IMO. Even becoming a bit under-rated if everyone thinks he is just plain crap. Obviously he'll never be any more than decent, but he's been that, pretty consistently, since his last recall.

Don't really think you can say that about anyone at this level, even Saj Mahmood . It's sport and nothing is really that obvious. Probably, yes. Obvious, no.

 

[shortpitched713]

Before that, he wasn't even the best bowler in the Bengal side, SS Paul was.

Totally random, but SS Paul is a gun. That is all.

 

[Manee]

Question: Have the squads for the England ODIs been named yet?

 

[Perm]

Question: Have the squads for the England ODIs been named yet?

Nope, not yet.

 

[haroon510]

i don't know i feel like what is the point of pakistan going to Scotland and England for only one or two game. i would love to see a 5 one day match series between pak and india there. but i don't think i would see it,,,,,,,

 

[andmark]

4th ODI - England v India
Thursday, July 30 - Old Trafford, Manchester

I'm going to that match.

 

[Perm]

i don't know i feel like what is the point of pakistan going to Scotland and England for only one or two game.

$$$

 

[Perm]

4th ODI - England v India
Thursday, July 30 - Old Trafford, Manchester

I'm going to that match.

Awesome mate, you'll have to try and get Sachin's signatue.

 

[Nishant]

im going to india v pakistan at glasgow!!!!!!!!! Yey!

 

[gunner]

if it was at lords i would have gone
expecting imran nazir to feast on the indian bowling

hopefully butt will continue his good form against india

 

[sohummisra]

Well, yeah, he might, but so might Paul Collingwood.

Just the single scalp isn't any great achievement though. If Panesar has a real impact on the series - ie gets Tendulkar and others out often - it's very likely that the pitches will have been spin-receptive, and therefore that Kumble will have had a ball on them. And if it comes down to Panesar vs Kumble for the series, I'd back India.

I don't think (or rather, hope) Panesar will have a series-changing effect on this series, but I definitely see him stifling the batsman... a lot. India carry around the traditional reputation of being the best players of spin in the world but the last two years has pointed to anything but that. Panesar was impressive when he toured India, and I think with the recent successes under his belt, he may have the confidence to do a lot of harm.

Secondly, Panesar has usually come on to bowl after successful early pressure from the pace bowlers of England. Kumble will not have this advantage most of the time, whereas Panesar may still, against India. Thus, Panesar may get more, 'cheaper' wickets than Kumble, thus meaning that the tracks may not be ripping turners, but sufficiently useful.

 

[sohummisra]

I would have used this tour to start rebuilding the Indian team and get some fresh faces in the side.
Dropping Harbhajan and Sehwag was a good move -- I still think Sehwag can taste more success as an opener but he needs to sort out a few issues.
Be interesting to see what Powar can do - as a finger spinner you would think he'd have limited success in England but if India get the right pitch (perhaps at the Oval where both Saqi and Harby have had some success for Surrey), he could be very useful......he's the sort of finger spinner that's pretty unusual these days and England haven't seen a lot him.
Like Bose, he's had solid domestic success and deserves his chance.

Rebuild for what? It seems we are rebuilding towards some series on the horizon. I think its equally important to win a few games on the way, rather than rebuild for some perfect team. That said, Harbhajan's and Sehwag's drop is a good move. I hope these two come back better players. I don't rate Powar as anything special and if he's the best off-spinner India has to offer these days, I think I need to go bury my head in a pillow and cry. He could taste success because he flights up the ball a lot, but with age and fitness not on his side, I think it's only a matter of time before he makes way for Bhajji or someone else, again.

Like Anand Vasu at cricinfo, I'm a bit skeptical of Gambhir but India haven't got really too many other opening options, although I always felt Aakash Chopra was a little hard done by.

I don't mind Gambhir's selection at all. He's not that bad a problem and if he fixes a few little problems, like falling over against the left-armer, I think he could be quite useful. Again, he's one who's been racking up the runs season after season in domestic cricket, so it is only fair to give him a few opportunities in international cricket. Aakash Chopra was a good counterfoil for Sehwag's attack. I think if we have an opening combination of Chopra and Jaffer, most viewers will be disappointed seeing fewer than 60 runs scored at lunch.

Although I don't begrudge Bose his selection, I have my doubts about his ability at test level....a lot of his domestic success has come on greentops and how many 75-80 mph swing bowlers have been genuinely sucesful in the modern era ? If anything, his success shows the flaws of India's domestic system.
I'm still unconvinced about RP Singh....he lacks consistency in line and length and Ishant Sharma is a rookie from whom not a lot can be expected.

It looks like India is only capable of producing 75-80 mph bowlers who swing or seam it a bit. We might as well give him a try. Also, apart from Munaf and Sreesanth, none of our pace bowlers have tasted any "real" success. RP and VRV have been consistently disappointing and I would not have them near the team if Zaheer, Munaf and Sree are fit and ready.

 

[sohummisra]

Pretty much. Zaheer has definitely been putting the ball in the right areas as well, consistently so in his latest stint. Didn't really watch him bowl in BD but he was very accurate in SA, the preceding ODIs home and away and the few domestic matches that he played before that. He should just stop trying to use that bouncer - it's pathetic.

I think Zaheer is probably the best pacer we've got at the moment, if we balance out pace, accuracy, wicket-taking ability and experience.

 

[sohummisra]

if it was at lords i would have gone
expecting imran nazir to feast on the indian bowling

hopefully butt will continue his good form against india

I presume the pitches will be batsman friendly so it should be a feast from both sides. Especially given that Pakistan's bowling is quite inexperienced/unsuccessful after Asif.

 

[Perm]

I think Zaheer is probably the best pacer we've got at the moment, if we balance out pace, accuracy, wicket-taking ability and experience.

Zaheer Khan is easily the best fast bowler India have got at the moment, Munaf Patel is too injury prone and Sreesanth isn't accurate enough. Outside those three is a whole heap of mediocrity.

 

[Prince EWS]

I think if we have an opening combination of Chopra and Jaffer, most viewers will be disappointed seeing fewer than 60 runs scored at lunch.

Perhaps, but you don't/shouldn't select teams based on that. Not to mention the fact that I'd be in my element anyway.

 

[sohummisra]

Perhaps, but you don't/shouldn't select teams based on that. Not to mention the fact that I'd be in my element anyway.

Nah you shouldn't, but that is just an addendum to the fact that I don't think they would really balance each other out. I think both batsmen depend on the batsman at the other end to move things along. It would kind of be similar to Bangar and Chopra opening the batting. Oh wait, did that happen?

 

[Prince EWS]

Nah you shouldn't, but that is just an addendum to the fact that I don't think they would really balance each other out. I think both batsmen depend on the batsman at the other end to move things along. It would kind of be similar to Bangar and Chopra opening the batting. Oh wait, did that happen?

I don't think they depend on the batsman at the other end to score runs - they simply do not care if they score slowly, as long as they see off the new ball consistently. That being the job of any opening partership with a more accomplished middle order to come, really. I highly doubt Chopra for example would be phased by the scoring rate of all things. The crowd might be, but that's not at all relevant.

 

[sohummisra]

I don't think they depend on the batsman at the other end to score runs - they simply do not care if they score slowly, as long as they see off the new ball consistently. That being the job of any opening partership with a more accomplished middle order to come, really. I highly doubt Chopra for example would be phased by the scoring rate of all things. The crowd might be, but that's not at all relevant.

Hmm... I disagree. I feel if both batsmen feel free to take as much time to play themselves in as they wish, one of them will eventually get frustrated with the scoreboard. I think the top opening partnerships in the world rely on one side taking the game to the bowlers (relatively speaking) and the other side making sure the wickets are intact. I feel that if Jaffer and Chopra were to open, one would eventually fall to frustration.

 

[Prince EWS]

I feel if both batsmen feel free to take as much time to play themselves in as they wish, one of them will eventually get frustrated with the scoreboard.

Nah, that's the beauty of Chopra. He's not an idiot. He knows his role and he knows what he does best - and he does it. I'm sure he wouldn't get phased by it.

I think the top opening partnerships in the world rely on one side taking the game to the bowlers (relatively speaking) and the other side making sure the wickets are intact.

The primary role of the openers is to see off the new ball. Once they've done that, then they can worry about runs. This applies even moreso in the Indian team where the middle order players are far more accomplished than the openers in the first place and hence would benefit greatly from a platform set of an old ball with change and/or tired bowlers operating - and even moreso again in English conditions where the new ball swings around.

As for your ideal opening partnership line, you can't really have one player in a partnership make sure wickets are in tact - he can't defend for the other player. Having one player making sure wickets are in tact will usuall see the other one get out. You can talk all you want about complementary opening partnerships, but the real fact of the matter is - the best opening batsmen see off the new ball consistently, while the not-so-good ones don't.