*Official* South Africa in India

[silentstriker]

haha..

Need SS flow chart to confirm.

Well, it was a dustbowl when Harbhajan took wickets in the first innings. Then it was certainly a road about an hour into India's innings when Sehwag reached 50. It then become a dustbowl when India got a lead. It confirmed its status as a wicket unfit for Test cricket when spinners took 8 wickets in the final innings.

Two years from now, this pitch will be classified as either A) Dustbowl, B) Flat, or C) Unfit for cricket (though A&C are synonymous in the minds of some) when certain people get into stat wars and start looking to exclude matches to make their player look better. I could totally see Amla's Indian record coming under attack for scoring centuries on dead wickets. And Harbhajan's too, for bowling in a dustbowl.

And there's about a 80% chance that both arguments will be made by the same poster about a week apart.

 

[Briony]

Well, it was a dustbowl when Harbhajan took wickets in the first innings. Then it was certainly a road about an hour into India's innings when Sehwag reached 50. It then become a dustbowl when India got a lead. It confirmed its status as a wicket unfit for Test cricket when spinners took 8 wickets in the final innings.

Two years from now, this pitch will be classified as either A) Dustbowl, B) Flat, or C) Unfit for cricket (though A&C are synonymous in the minds of some) when certain people get into stat wars and start looking to exclude matches to make their player look better. I could totally see Amla's Indian record coming under attack for scoring centuries on dead wickets. And Harbhajan's too, for bowling in a dustbowl.

And there's about a 80% chance that both arguments will be made by the same poster about a week apart.

With seven tons being scored the scales are tipped towards the road argument.

 

[Sanz]

With seven tons being scored the scales are tipped towards the road argument.

Yeah why bother watching the game.

 

[Sir Alex]

The point being made is that it was a very good batting pitch but SA contrived to collapse on day one. India was always going to make runs on that track with Steyn not able to reproduce his magic when the ball wasn't swinging. If you bat badly on a road you're in deep trouble. The SA batting lineup is rather inconsistent. Without Amla they would have been an embarrassment. The poor form of JP, Smith and Prince is obviously a talking point but when was the last time that de Villiers played an innings of substance?

In other words, SA were crap enough to lose 20 wickets to a literally 3 man attack. That is precisely why India deserves No.1 ranking.

 

[Sir Alex]

With seven tons being scored the scales are tipped towards the road argument.

And SA lost 20 wickets in the space of about 200 overs?

 

[Sir Alex]

Well, it was a dustbowl when Harbhajan took wickets in the first innings. Then it was certainly a road about an hour into India's innings when Sehwag reached 50. It then become a dustbowl when India got a lead. It confirmed its status as a wicket unfit for Test cricket when spinners took 8 wickets in the final innings.

Two years from now, this pitch will be classified as either A) Dustbowl, B) Flat, or C) Unfit for cricket (though A&C are synonymous in the minds of some) when certain people get into stat wars and start looking to exclude matches to make their player look better. I could totally see Amla's Indian record coming under attack for scoring centuries on dead wickets. And Harbhajan's too, for bowling in a dustbowl.

And there's about a 80% chance that both arguments will be made by the same poster about a week apart.

Sehwag was dropped twice. Hence he did not score a century here.

 

[G.I.Joe]

now the highlights package will be good to watch !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we will be world no 1 till april

think we get some bonus from icc for doing that rite ???

$175,000 .

 

[R_D]

In other words, SA were crap enough to lose 20 wickets to a literally 3 man attack. That is precisely why India deserves No.1 ranking.

Don't forget that too on a Road.....



There's no way India would've scored 600 runs if not for South Africa catching like the Pakistani team..

 

[G.I.Joe]

The bowler India needs and will fire in the near future - Sudeep Tyagi.

You heard it here first.

First shmirst. Get in line. He's been on the radar for a while now

 

[stephen]

I really really want a 3rd test. Damn you BCCI for only scheduling two!

If Amla was dismissed for a king pair in a third test his batting average for the series would still be over 150.

Kudos to India for coming back after such a pounding in the first test. It truly was an exciting series, despite the one sided tests.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Had the most frustrating experience. Followed the game on the phone all day, and the battery died with SA 7 down

 

[Arjun]

The bowler India needs and will fire in the near future - Sudeep Tyagi.

You heard it here first.

What's the point? One more pacer picked, found wanting, then dropped? They instead need to go back to ones who have been dropped, and stick to them, and maybe, by a long shot, Vinay Kumar. Long ago, on this board, you said that RP Singh will play for India, and he didn't last long. In fact, they still haven't found a valid replacement for Irfan Pathan, and it hasn't helped at all.

Tyagi should wait in line, and has a lot to learn- pace, control, stepping over, and of course, fielding. In the interests of the team, we'd prefer to see just four or five pacers (including two capable batsmen) over a period of five years, with no permanent changes under any circumstances, and no place for Tyagi until four years from now.

 

[Briony]

And SA lost 20 wickets in the space of about 200 overs?

That doesn't debunk the road theory, it merely shows how badly out of form some of the saffer batsmen are. They have been carrying Prince and Duminy for some time now, de Villiers has been playing the odd cameo without showing some of his best form while the already out of form Smith decides to play with a busted finger. To compound matters Boucher's absence unsettled their lineup. It was a road but one team simply just batted poorly, Amla both innings and Petersen first innings excepted.

 

[Pratters]

First shmirst. Get in line. He's been on the radar for a while now

I have been one of the first to say he had potential.

 

[Pratters]

What's the point? One more pacer picked, found wanting, then dropped? They instead need to go back to ones who have been dropped, and stick to them, and maybe, by a long shot, Vinay Kumar. Long ago, on this board, you said that RP Singh will play for India, and he didn't last long. In fact, they still haven't found a valid replacement for Irfan Pathan, and it hasn't helped at all.

Tyagi should wait in line, and has a lot to learn- pace, control, stepping over, and of course, fielding. In the interests of the team, we'd prefer to see just four or five pacers (including two capable batsmen) over a period of five years, with no permanent changes under any circumstances, and no place for Tyagi until four years from now.

RP Singh is okay in conditions abroad but a failure in subcontinental conditions so far.

 

[Arjun]

Back to the Test series, the South African team looked a lot better together- they were a better team, even if the Indians had better individuals (bar Steyn, of course), and the Indians can take a lot out of that team composition. They had all the bases covered, except (here) the middle-order, with Duminy not doing too well. Of course, having Kallis in the team helps a great deal- top class batsman who's more than useful as a seam-up bowler. Even beyond him, they have a very effective lower order, who are not spectacular, but get the job done. Five bowlers like MF Morkel or Parnell or Harris will serve an Indian team well. Spin isn't their main strength, but the one they have in their team is useful, less so as a spinner than as a selection. They haven't fallen for the idea of playing two spinners in Asia, unlike India, who sacrifice their strength and expose their weakness by playing a third seamer abroad. The Kolkata Test nothwitstanding, the South Africans are also a good fielding side all-round. Hashim Amla's water-tight batting this series has also added some strength to that team, although it's anybody's guess how long that will last. Last but not least, they're a a far better managed team.

 

[Arjun]

RP Singh is okay in conditions abroad but a failure in subcontinental conditions so far.

Tends to bowl utter rubbish when not in form. He is useful, at least in ODIs, as one of the few pacers who's capable of holding his own as a fielder- some of the seamers picked for India appear to be geriatrics at an early age.

 

[Sir Alex]

That doesn't debunk the road theory, it merely shows how badly out of form some of the saffer batsmen are. They have been carrying Prince and Duminy for some time now, de Villiers has been playing the odd cameo without showing some of his best form while the already out of form Smith decides to play with a busted finger. To compound matters Boucher's absence unsettled their lineup. It was a road but one team simply just batted poorly, Amla both innings and Petersen first innings excepted.

I agree 100% (except Road theory). That is precisely I repeat that SA did not deserve to be No.1 with such a team.

 

[wpdavid]

What's the point? One more pacer picked, found wanting, then dropped? They instead need to go back to ones who have been dropped, and stick to them, and maybe, by a long shot, Vinay Kumar. Long ago, on this board, you said that RP Singh will play for India, and he didn't last long. In fact, they still haven't found a valid replacement for Irfan Pathan, and it hasn't helped at all.

I've occasionally wondered about all that, but wouldn't claim to know enough about India cricket to comment. In recent years we've seen R Singh, Sreesanth, Munaf Patel & now Sharma and all but the last one have come & gone. Singh in particular looked good in England a couple of years ago, so what went wrong?

 

[Pratters]

Singh looked very good in England but has been mediocre since then. Ishant has to be persisted with but we have to try some one new in tandem with him or go to some one like Sreesanth (who is talented but inconsistent) or VRV.