Sure, the bottom line is that he's bowled rubbish today compared to what we've come to expect from him in test cricket. He may have gone for 5 an over before but I haven't seen him bowl this poorly in a while. Hope he makes up for it throughout the rest of the test because we need breakthroughs from our seamers.
He doesn't look balanced at the crease when he is bowling. Perhaps it is due to him running in too slow due to the heat - I don't know. Whatever it is, I believe it is simply due to a lack of match practice combined with some unhelpful conditions. A bowler coming back from injury does not need a flat pitch. In hindsight, perhaps VRV would have been a better option since he long sticks to a stump to stump line and so would be more likely to get a wicket on a pitch like this - but we still live in an age where horses for courses is seen as dated and that we must rush our best bowlers from injury as quick as possible lest he miss one Test match (God forbid!).
Indeed, he bowled so short at times it was almost criminal. Didn’t look at the races at all but there was a big burden on his shoulders. It’s very difficult to dismiss a team first dig (cheaply) when you only have two seamers. India given the nature of the surfaces should really have gone for the extra bowler, for they can’t just count on winning the toss.
Crazy selection
Both Khan and Sharma are injured, so that's just what we have.
VRV Singh is an option - but a risky one. Although he has appeared to shelve his pace in the name of accuracy, he is still a potential wicket taking threat. He took 18 wickets in his two Duleep Trophy matches, topping the wicket taker charts. In the entire FC season, he took 33 wickets at a rate of one per just 31.7 balls. The problem most certainly lies in his economy, in the FC season, he went for 4.47 runs per over. However, if the Duleep Trophy final is a correct indication, most runs come off edges and drives, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
But they won a series in England for the first time in 15 years just before the Aussie series....
You would have played Pathan ahead of RP or Sree?
You know why I used that term? It because the body language clearly showed that they are pretty much relaxed and were really looking over-confident. You will clearly see that in the coming days of the test match. But, I really like the way Amla played today.
Could have played him instead of Harbhajan, which wouldn't be a bad idea but for the opposition...
Yup, me too. The team composition is fine. It's only been one day on a very flat subcontinent track - and your spinners are the ones who took the wickets anyway.
