India: Deserved of No. 1?

[Jono]

SA unless you think they're better off without Ntini, Pollock, etc

Pakistan - a rabble

SL - Murali's a shadow of his former self and they dont have anyone else now that Vaas has gone

The only teams that are improving are Eng, WI and the Bangas and they're all coming off a very low base

We're living in exciting times because many teams are evenly matched but let's not try and pretend that the standard is great

This current Indian team is better than any Pakistani or Sri Lankan team you can name in the last 5-7 years.

I've said so many times, without anyone rebutting, that test cricket is of a higher standard now than it was in 2004.

Unless NZ and Pakistan being dismissed for under 100 in the same Australian summer is good cricket?????

 

[Shri]

Seam attack is definitely behind (in no paricular order) Oz, SA, Eng, Pakistan and potentially WI if all their candidates live up to potential/are fit

Spin is carried by Harby who many Indian fans want punted whilst the great hope (Mishra) has been found wanting and cast aside

As for the Indian fielding, it's simply horrible with only about 25% of the team at international standard

Sorry but in 2/3 disciplines, India are an ordinary unit and the team owes its place in the ranking due to the decline in others more than anything else

Mishra has not even played 10 tests. To conclude that he has been discarded after a failure in 2 matches is harsh. The standards are pathetic the world over which is true. If we have to pick the least rotten apples out the basket, Ind, RSA and Aus are the ones that come out on tops. Aus now has lost a home series along with RSA. India is the only side in the top 3 that hasn't lost a test series at home recently. If they beat RSA, they deserve that no.1 ranking based on home match points. Last time around they gifted a game away to RSA by preparing a pace friendly pitch. They wont make the same mistake this time around methinks.

 

[social]

This current Indian team is better than any Pakistani or Sri Lankan team you can name in the last 5-7 years.

I've said so many times, without anyone rebutting, that test cricket is of a higher standard now than it was in 2004.

Unless NZ and Pakistan being dismissed for under 100 in the same Australian summer is good cricket?????

Youve got to be kidding?

Simply look at the number of top players that have retired since that point and who they've been replaced by - it's chalk and cheese

The standard today is as bad as I can remember

 

[Jono]

Obviously Australia was ****ing awesome then. But we also had some of the ****test summers of cricket here as well.

You know, crappy players existed in 2004 as well. I can go back and name them if you like, and let you know who they have been replaced by.

 

[Redbacks]

Obviously Australia was ****ing awesome then. But we also had some of the ****test summers of cricket here as well.

You'll go mad before Aus supporters stop reminiscing about the glory days

 

[GIMH]

2004/05 was the golden age of cricket IMO, whoever was ranked #2 must have been ABSOLUTELY AMAZING I reckon

 

[silentstriker]

Thank you England! Keeps us #1 for a while longer.

I thought that SA might have been the best team despite the rankings (still felt awesome with India achieving the #1 spot though), but now I don't think that. That's two series in a row against England, and and a loss to Australia prior to that.

Yeah Depends on How Sehwag scores.

The great test of a flat deck on CW .

 

[popepouri]

Seriously think it's just a competitive time in cricket with no actual better team which I know is foreign to everyone.

Each one has their strengths and weaknesses based on conditions and have good form and bad form in a day. Recently Australia beat India, India beat Australia, SA beat Australia, Australia beat SA, SA beat England and now England has the upper hand against SA. I don't think a ranking is as clear cut as certain people think.

 

[silentstriker]

Ah those imaginary people - not a single person said it was clear cut.

 

[aussie]

Yeah Depends on How Sehwag scores.

. EYYYYYYYYY i got some ****ing posters parch on this site

Anyway shotta, all Sehwag bashing has been disabled until the SA tour to IND begins. So in the mean time we can continue to discuss pitch conditions & how good the current SA batting line-up are good againts spin.

 

[Manee]

May be we should go left field and bring back Piyush Chawla and give him another go?

Wouldn't be left field, whatsoever, imo - the man has had a tremendous First Class season (starting with Sussex and continuing with UP) and ought to be contending for the second spinner spot along with Ojha and Mishra - should certainly not be rushed in ahead of either though as both have a lot going for them.

Our bowlers aren't horrible at test level. We just beat Sri Lanka by an innings on what everyone here was calling flat decks...

... TWICE.

Seam attack is definitely behind (in no paricular order) Oz, SA, Eng, Pakistan and potentially WI if all their candidates live up to potential/are fit

Spin is carried by Harby who many Indian fans want punted whilst the great hope (Mishra) has been found wanting and cast aside

As for the Indian fielding, it's simply horrible with only about 25% of the team at international standard

Sorry but in 2/3 disciplines, India are an ordinary unit and the team owes its place in the ranking due to the decline in others more than anything else

The seam attack is not fantastic, but until we get some non-subcontinental wickets to bowl on, then they cannot be held to too much criticism. Zaheer Khan is an adequate Test bowler, he has shown that he can produce match winning spells such as England 2007 and yet, bowl the long overs and spells to adequate success in the subcontinent over the past two years. He is no Glenn Mcgrath, but he is Test class. The Sreesanth/Ishant Sharma position is not a strong one. No matter who fills it, they do not seem to tear the house down on a consistent basis. It is an area of weakness and I do hope that the spot is given to a prolific domestic performer such as R Vinay Kumar - just to see if we can find a long term replacement for that role.

The spin attack has been underrated. Harbhajan Singh is a great servant to Indian cricket and gets through bucketloads of overs (still recieves criticism), still with good success. He is no longer a prolific wicket taker on Indian decks, but is still a good Test bowler. Amit Mishra did a fine job before he was hastily dropped and Ojha has come into the role well - Indian spin stocks are pretty strong, imo.

Cannot underrate the Indian batting though, we really do have one of the all time strong batting line ups in subcontinental conditions and they have not shown themselves as too shabby away from the subcontinent either. The batting has got us to number 1 and (I hope) will keep us there.

 

[tooextracool]

I will concede India's pace attack is perhaps inferior to South Africa's and Australia's at the moment. But to say it is worse than West Indies', Pakistan's is just underrating it cruelly. Indian catching has been terrible of late but they are still test standard.

Err, is this a joke? Pakistan has a far far better pace bowling attack than India and arguably a better bowling attack than South Africa as well.

The problem with India is that their pace bowling is reliant upon Zaheer Khan and that their fitness is shocking really. I mean seriously, what the hell is going on with Ishant and Munaf Patel?

 

[Jono]

Who cares we have:

 

[Goughy]

Err, is this a joke? Pakistan has a far far better pace bowling attack than India and arguably a better bowling attack than South Africa as well.

Never understand why people rate Pakistans seam attack. Sure it has Asif, sometimes, but apart from that it is pretty toothless and there is no depth at all. Id take Indias fast bowling resources right now. Guess that is just my opinion.

 

[Goughy]

Seamers that have played Tests in the last 2 years that have more than 10 career Test wickets at less than 40

Eng = 7

Aus = 7

NZ = 9

SA = 7

Ind = 6

Pak = 2

WI = 5

Even with such loose criteria a three man attack cant be made.

 

[pasag]

Never understand why people rate Pakistans seam attack. Sure it has Asif, sometimes, but apart from that it is pretty toothless and there is no depth at all. Id take Indias fast bowling resources right now. Guess that is just my opinion.

Md Aamir says hi!

 

[Goughy]

Md Aamir says hi!

Hi

 

[pasag]

asl?

 

[Goughy]

asl?

wyltk

 

[Sir Alex]

Err, is this a joke? Pakistan has a far far better pace bowling attack than India and arguably a better bowling attack than South Africa as well.

The problem with India is that their pace bowling is reliant upon Zaheer Khan and that their fitness is shocking really. I mean seriously, what the hell is going on with Ishant and Munaf Patel?

Pakistan has jus one good consistent fast bowler in Asif. It is too early to rate Aamir now. He is having a great season just like Ishant had a year or two back. Zaheer and Sreesanth are two good quality test bowlers. Ishant is having an off season but the talent is there and he surely will be back. Our pace bowlers are underrated purely based on their statistics which does not take into account the terrible pitches they've had to play on in our country. I don't think many if not any visiting fast bowler has really performed in India since 07 barring perhaps Steyn and Watson which says it all.