***Official Australia in India***

[Precambrian]

No point really thinking about longterm etc when a series is to be won, so i'd go for dusty turners with bounce, and which offers batting potential on the first two three days. Domestic game pitches should be prepared with long term view. Right now, we got to play to our strengths, which is bowl spin and play spin better.

Besides Khan showed in SL that he's become accomplished enough to alter his game according to the conditions, which has led him to be effective and consistent since his comeback. And Sharma with his natural bounce should be handful anywhere.

 

[Manee]

Besides Khan showed in SL that he's become accomplished enough to alter his game according to the conditions, which has led him to be effective and consistent since his comeback.

Really? He has improved but the conditions in Sri Lanka were often swinger friendly.

 

[adharcric]

when was Kaif solid? look at his FC average and he just cant play long innings..

Badrinath: That FC average includes all the 'A' games he played abroad.. having seen him for the past decade or so, he is a perfect fit for the longer version... It is very unfair to compare Badri and Kohli.. Hopefully the selectors do it the Aussie way.. select Badri ahead of Kohli and Kaif....

Chopra: simply strokeless as Kaif.. ya.. getting a good start spending time at the wicket all are ok.. but is there anyway he can get runs? to simply put it, he doesn't have any scoring shots to fetch runs at the international level..

My XI

1. Gambhir
2. Sehwag
3. Dravid
4. Laxman
5. Badrinath
6. Ganguly (definitely deserves a chance given what he has done in Test cricket since his comeback)
7. Dhoni
8. Kumble
9. Khan
10. I Sharma
11. H Singh/P Ohja

Have you seen Kaif or Chopra bat lately?

 

[ramkumar_gr]

Have you seen Kaif or Chopra bat lately?

yes i do but dont read much into this recent Nissar trophy....for the very reason even someone like Kohli made those runs... :-)

for me Kaif is yet to play a significant knock in a FC match after 10 seasons plus... tell me when was the last time he made a 150+ score in a FC match despite playing season after season in the so called flat tracks...

On Chopra, i would agree he is the best close-in catcher in the country and a very good runner between the wickets, i still cant see where he can score the runs at international level....

let me put it simple, test selection should be based on duleep trophy/Irani Trophy performances, and i dont remember Chopra or Kaif doing anything there... let us wait and watch what Kaif would do in the Irani trophy..

 

[Burgey]

If Tendulkar is out, will they plumb for Ganguly to swap one experienced bloke for another?

It's trite to say, but if Tendulkar doesn't play (and I wouldn't have a clue about the seriousness of his injury obviously) then it leaves a massive hole in India's middle order. He always seems to perform v Australia and produce at least one vital ton per series. Out here last summer he was immense in the tests.

They're certainly big shoes to fill for whomever comes into the side.

 

[pup11]

If Tendulkar is out, will they plumb for Ganguly to swap one experienced bloke for another?

It's trite to say, but if Tendulkar doesn't play (and I wouldn't have a clue about the seriousness of his injury obviously) then it leaves a massive hole in India's middle order. He always seems to perform v Australia and produce at least one vital ton per series. Out here last summer he was immense in the tests.

They're certainly big shoes to fill for whomever comes into the side.

I think Ganguly is out for good and i can't see him coming back to the side even if Tendulkar misses out on the Australian series (which i don't believe is fair, but the selectors seem to have made up their mind about him), anyways even in case Tendulkar declares himself fit for the 1st test, then doesn't that still leave Tendulkar on shaky ground.

He would go into such a high-profiled series without any match practice under his belt, neither would he be able to gauge his fitness in match conditions, so India are virtually taking a blind punt with him on this occasion.

 

[pup11]

"I heard Ricky Ponting say that they'll probably use tactics similar to 2004" :Gillespie.

 

[Top_Cat]

If Tendulkar is out, will they plumb for Ganguly to swap one experienced bloke for another?

It's trite to say, but if Tendulkar doesn't play (and I wouldn't have a clue about the seriousness of his injury obviously) then it leaves a massive hole in India's middle order. He always seems to perform v Australia and produce at least one vital ton per series. Out here last summer he was immense in the tests.

They're certainly big shoes to fill for whomever comes into the side.

If it's tennis elbow again, he's in trouble. Literally the only way to clear it up is to not use it so that means no holding a bat for weeks. And if he can't hold a bat, he can't get fairly valuable match-practice before the series starts if, indeed, he's even fit for the series. Because if he goes out and uses it, he'll just aggravate it again and won't bat well anyway, especially since he uses such a massive bat.

Tough situation for him. He needs miles in the legs but can't get them until his injury heals. It's possible he won't play at least the first Test or two.

 

[Arjun]

The sooner the Indians break out of the 'Tendulkar is irreplaceable' mindset, the better for them as a team.

 

[duffer]

Without Sachin our batting lineup looks incredibly vulnerable. Sehwag may have to carry us through the series.

 

[four_or_six]

Yeah i am not sure how Ponting can say something like this, and Symonds won't be amused one bit about this, tbh i rate Watson, but if i were to be his captain or a team-mate i wouldn't be really confident about him lasting through a tough 4 test match series in gruelling conditions, so i really can't see where Ponting is coming from.

Given Symmo' form in test cricket for the last 2 years i can't understand how Ponting can say Watson would have played ahead of him even if he was available for this tour.

Ponting hardly going to come out with "To be honest, if Symonds hadn't gone fishing Watson would be nowhere near this tour. He's no-where near as good, I wish Roy was here." is he?

 

[NUFAN]

I think the team defined by masterblaster is perfact for this tour.

Except the batting order.

I would not have Laxman at 6 below both Kaif and Badrinath.

 

[SJS]

If Tendulkar is out, will they plumb for Ganguly to swap one experienced bloke for another?

It's trite to say, but if Tendulkar doesn't play (and I wouldn't have a clue about the seriousness of his injury obviously) then it leaves a massive hole in India's middle order. He always seems to perform v Australia and produce at least one vital ton per series. Out here last summer he was immense in the tests.

They're certainly big shoes to fill for whomever comes into the side.

why . we have badrinath

 

[masterblaster]

Except the batting order.

I would not have Laxman at 6 below both Kaif and Badrinath.

Well I did mention that I'm very open to the idea of sending in Laxman at 3 and demoting Dravid to 6 with Kaif and Badrinath in the middle order.

 

[adharcric]

The idea is Kaif and Badrinath at 5 and 6. Can't understand why you're so intent on the two newcomers coming ahead of Laxman (or Dravid).

 

[masterblaster]

The idea is Kaif and Badrinath at 5 and 6. Can't understand why you're so intent on the two newcomers coming ahead of Laxman (or Dravid).

Giving them an opportunity to cement their place. Badrinath and Kaif at 6 are both wasted.

 

[pup11]

Ponting hardly going to come out with "To be honest, if Symonds hadn't gone fishing Watson would be nowhere near this tour. He's no-where near as good, I wish Roy was here." is he?

It was more in context to Ponting' statement that Watson would have played in the first test even if Symonds was avaliable for this tour, so that didn't made much sense to me, because Symonds and Watson atm are virtually contesting for the same spot in the side.

 

[sanga1337]

Giving them an opportunity to cement their place. Badrinath and Kaif at 6 are both wasted.

So is Dravid, considering he doesn't exactly score his runs quickly.

 

[pup11]

So is Dravid, considering he doesn't exactly score his runs quickly.

AWTA, i don't think this exactly is the kind of series where too many inexperienced guys should be drafted into the batting line-up, this series should be the last chance for the likes of Dravid and Laxman to show they are still good enough, of course if they fail then sure its time to look elsewhere.

 

[silentstriker]

Ponting wants to fix his resume:

Ricky Ponting has departed for India with a personal goal alongside his main aim of retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy: he is desperate to improve his average of 12.28 in India. Ponting said it was a void in his cricket resume and he was keen to rectify it in the coming weeks after Australia arrive in the country on Monday.

"I've had a couple of disappointing Test series [in India]. In 2001, I made next to no runs," Ponting said before the team's departure from Sydney. "The last series over there that we won, I broke my thumb and missed the first three Tests and came back for the last one, and that was the only one we lost."

Ponting's average in India is his lowest in any country; his aggregate of 17 runs in the three Tests in 2000-01 is his worst in any Test series. He will be attempting to fix his problem against an experienced India outfit.

I think he'll do it, and if he does, in my mind he'll move up right after Bradman and Chappell on the Aussie all time list.