*Official* - Road to India in South Africa - 2010-11

[Jarquis]

Chances are you pick the better batsman.

 

[Avada Kedavra]

Certainly.But how do you decide who the better batsman is keeping in mind that:

1.Both are newbies in test cricket(4 matches for Raina,1 match for Pujara)
2.The domestic system in India is crap.

 

[Furball]

Certainly.But how do you decide who the better batsman is keeping in mind that:

1.Both are newbies in test cricket(4 matches for Raina,1 match for Pujara)
2.The domestic system in India is crap.

Pujara averages 60 in Indian First Class cricket, Raina averages 45. That would make me lean towards Pujara being the best batsman - Raina having played ODIs against Steyn and co changes nothing.

 

[Avada Kedavra]

Pujara averages 60 in Indian First Class cricket, Raina averages 45. That would make me lean towards Pujara being the best batsman - Raina having played ODIs against Steyn and co changes nothing.

Those averages are even more misleading than their current test match averages(Raina 61,Pujara 38) for the simple reason that the domestic system in India is of low standards.Third grade batsmen like Badrinath and Venugopal Rao have great domestic stats-means nothing really.

In any case,India will most certainly go with Raina.Pujara won't play unless one of the middle order batsmen gets injured.

 

[Jarquis]

Badrinath's a gun!

 

[aussie]

Badrinath's a gun!

He should be in the test team without a doubt, especially for the SA tour.

 

[Shri]

Third grade batsmen like Badrinath and Venugopal Rao

Don't even mention Badri and Rao in the same post, let alone the same line. And if you think Badri is third rate, GAGFC!

 

[cricket_wallah]

anyone travelling to south africa in december?

hi guys i will be in south africa for the india test series in december. just wondering if anyone else is planning to go over there?

 

[Furball]

Those averages are even more misleading than their current test match averages(Raina 61,Pujara 38) for the simple reason that the domestic system in India is of low standards.Third grade batsmen like Badrinath and Venugopal Rao have great domestic stats-means nothing really.

In any case,India will most certainly go with Raina.Pujara won't play unless one of the middle order batsmen gets injured.

Not a great argument in favour of Raina. If anyone who can hold the bat the correct way up can average 50 in Indian First Class cricket, it doesn't say a lot for Raina that he only averages 45.

 

[Avada Kedavra]

Not a great argument in favour of Raina. If anyone who can hold the bat the correct way up can average 50 in Indian First Class cricket, it doesn't say a lot for Raina that he only averages 45.

Come on now GF,that is like arguing B'desh have a better bowling attack than Aus because Sehwag averages much more against the latter-an absurd argument to say the least.

I have nothing against Pujara,he may well turn out to be better than Raina in the long run.It is just that at this stage I would rather pick a guy who has experience facing Steyn and co(and much more intl exp in general)than read too much into runs scored against pie chuckers in Indian domestic cricket,a domain for the mediocre(Badrinath,Rao...)And like I said,the Ind selectors will also be thinking along those lines.

 

[Cevno]

Yadav, Saha picked for South Africa Tests

India have picked wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and seamers Umesh Yadav and Jaidev Unadkat for the three-Test series in South Africa that begins on December 16 in Centurion. Zaheer Khan makes a return to the squad after being ruled out of the ongoing third Test against New Zealand with a groin strain, but he, along with four other senior players, will miss the first two ODIs of the series against New Zealand.

Gautam Gambhir will lead the ODI team in the absence of MS Dhoni, who had said he would request the BCCI for rest after playing non-stop since the tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year. Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh are the other players to be rested for the ODIs against New Zealand due to "injury concerns, which require attention and rehabilitation".

Unadkat, the left-arm seamer from Saurashtra, had been drafted in as Zaheer's replacement for the third Test while Yadav, who is currently playing for Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy Plate League, impressed during the IPL this year with Delhi Daredevils, and made it into India's squads for the World Twenty20 and the tour of Zimbabwe. Saha, who plays for Bengal and has represented India in one Test, against South Africa in Nagpur, is fresh from a century against Assam in the Ranji Trophy Super League.

Saha will also make his ODI debut, having been included in the squad for the first two games against New Zealand, while Dinesh Karthik, who has been the usual replacement for Dhoni in the 50-over game, was not considered.

Allrounder Yusuf Pathan, who last played for India in June this year, makes his return to the national team for the ODI series. Pathan is having a good domestic season with Baroda, smashing 89 off 42 balls against Gujarat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 195 off 138 balls against Haryana in the Ranji Trophy and starring with the ball, picking up ten wickets in a losing cause against Uttar Pradesh.

Dhoni, on the eve of the ongoing third Test against New Zealand in Nagpur, had called for rest for players like himself and Suresh Raina ahead of the tour of South Africa. India coach Gary Kirsten had stressed the need for a few players to depart early, at least a week ahead of the Test series, not only to acclimatise but also understand the ground conditions better given they are so different compared to India.

Kirsten had requested the BCCI in advance and the board, last month, agreed to send some players early to South Africa, possibly at the expense of their participation in the ODIs against New Zealand, to make up for the absence of practice games ahead of the Test series. Though the BCCI has chosen to rest five senior players for the start of the New Zealand series, it is still unclear as to who would make the trip to South Africa before the others.

India face New Zealand in the first of five ODIs on November 28 in Guwahati.


India squad for South Africa Tests: MS Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, Umesh Yadav, Jaidev Unadkat, Pragyan Ojha.

India news: Umesh Yadav and Wriddhiman Saha picked for South Africa Tests | Cricket News | South Africa v India | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Cevno]

With Zaheer Khan bound to miss one or more test with injury ,and Ishant and Sreesanth also being fragile there is a good chance of us needing back up pace bowlers as we will probably play 3 seamers.
Thus, Would have personally taken Praveen Kumar there instead of Yadav or Unadkat as he offers something different to the others with his swing in helpful conditions.Gives Experience too.

Poor Mithun must be wondering also why he got his chance in Srilanka and not South Africa.

Also Dinesh Karthik did decently well last time in South africa if i remember correctly,so picking Saha ahead seems strange.Keeeping perhaps trumped karthik.

The rest of the squad really picks itself.

 

[Jono]

I don't mind Yadav being picked. In fact, it's a good choice.

I would rather Vinay Kumar, Praveen or Pankaj Singh for Unadkat, just because of Unadkat's age. Nevertheless, they're not awful selections.

Mithun evidently has fallen out of favour.

 

[Cevno]

I don't mind Yadav being picked. In fact, it's a good choice.

I would rather Vinay Kumar, Praveen or Pankaj Singh for Unadkat, just because of Unadkat's age. Nevertheless, they're not awful selections.

Mithun evidently has fallen out of favour.

They are not awful selections at all.

But i think a swing bowler like Praveen kumar could have been effective in south africa and offered something different.

As for the rest it is really hard to differentiate at the moment who to pick or not.

 

[Shri]

Praveen in SA will be a bad move. Would play him in England but we need seamers who hit the deck and get bounce and seam movement in SA more than swing.

 

[smash84]

Praveen in SA will be a bad move. Would play him in England but we need seamers who hit the deck and get bounce and seam movement in SA more than swing.

It would have been worthwhile to try Praveen Kumar in SA. The guy can really swing the ball under the right conditions. And after England SA seems to be the best place for swing bowlers.

Zaheer Khan's fitness has been quite terrible in the last few years. I wonder if he has been taking lessons from Shoaib Akhtar.

 

[Jono]

Shri's point isn't a bad one. Praveen isn't our best bowler for seaming conditions or pitches with a lot of bounce. But eventually constant first class results have to be rewarded surely? Praveen and Vinay Kumar have that.

 

[smash84]

Shri's point isn't a bad one. Praveen isn't our best bowler for seaming conditions or pitches with a lot of bounce. But eventually constant first class results have to be rewarded surely? Praveen and Vinay Kumar have that.

I am not too sure he would be a bad bowler in seaming conditions. For bouncy pitches that don't offer much movement I would say he might not be such a good bet but in seaming conditions or wherever the ball has a chance to move around Praveen doesn't seem like a bad option to me. But I must confess that I have not seen too much of the guy. Whatever little I had seen had impressed me.

Zaheer Khan has been good with the ball but has serious fitness issues.

 

[Jono]

No no I don't think he'd be a bad bowler. But bowlers that hit the deck hard are often useful in SA. Not saying Praveen wouldn't be any good.

 

[Cevno]

Conditions in SA offer swing as well.

I think Sree was succesful last tour with swing rather than seam movement.
And praveen in overcast conditions in even Australia swung the ball so in South Africa with added bounce to aid his swing would be pretty useful as well.
A bit similar to how Irfan Pathan was man of the match in Perth on a bouncy pitch.