***Official*** England in India

[Ruckus]

Dhoni no bat pad last over sums him up.

Just has to go. Offers nothing to the test team any more

Does he play the helicopter shot in test cricket? Cause that's something to be proud of I guess

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Fabulous work by these two. I don't think it will change the final result, but enormous credit where due.

I still wouldn't bat Prior at 5 though. I don't see how demoting a couple of batsmen one place in the order will help them score any more runs, and I'm generally against asking players to bat out of position. In a sense, moving Prior from 7 is fixing one of the few parts of the side that isn't broken. Plus he's going to need as much rest time as possible after keeping for hours to the spinners in these conditions.

Could bat him at 6 ahead of Patel though, at least prior has a record of doing it.

 

[wpdavid]

Best English captains knock since Jo'Burg 95?

The only two I think up there with this are Vaughan's match saving 105 v Sri Lanka in 04 (?) and maybe Strauss knock at Lords against the Aussies in 09.

Quite possibly. And those may well be the best alternatives too.

However, here are some other options that come to mind:

Stewart's 100 in the 1998/99 ashes when he was relieved of keeping duties
Hussain's 100 in the 2nd test in SL in 2001 after we had been slaughtered in Galle.
Hussain's 100 on what was at the time a horrible drop-in pitch in NZ when England had been 0 for 2.
Trescothick's huge 100 at Multan in 2005 which should have led to us winning the match.

 

[M0rphin3]

One of the best innings I've seen in quite a while, hands down. Chanceless on a turner. Played skip.

 

[Jono]

One of the best innings I've seen in quite a while, hands down. Chanceless on a turner. Played skip.

Great knock but not chanceless

 

[shankar]

The pitch has slowed down, it seems. Not broken down as was expected after the initial days.

It slowed down since the first day itself. Called it after watching the Indian batsmen play Swann much more easily through the second day. The first day was so promising. Hope it breaks up by tomorrow at least.

 

[wpdavid]

Could bat him at 6 ahead of Patel though, at least prior has a record of doing it.

Yes, that would make sense. Plus Patel wouldn't be stupidly out of position at 7.

 

[Howe_zat]

Hussain's 100 on what was at the time a horrible drop-in pitch in NZ when England had been 0 for 2.

Wasn't that the Christchurch match where Astle scored that nutjub doube ton?

 

[Neil Pickup]

Cooky I love you.

And I genuinely believe.

4am again tomorrow it is.

 

[smash84]

lack of DRS hurting India a bit

 

[wpdavid]

Wasn't that the Christchurch match where Astle scored that nutjub doube ton?

Yeah, and IIRC Thorpe had made what was at the time the fastest test 200 only to be overtaken by Astle 24 hours later. But the pitch had totally transformed by the time they played those knocks.

 

[Prince EWS]

Yes, that would make sense. Plus Patel wouldn't be stupidly out of position at 7.

I think Patel is batting six on principle more than anything else. It lets the fans, the media, the captain and most importantly Patel himself know that he's in the side to make runs first and to bowl innocuous straight break half-volleys second. I think Patel's selection would becoming more confusing if he was batting seven.

One that which was silly though was Prior batting eight in the first innings once Jimmy was used as a nightwatchman. If you want to use a nightwatchman then that's fine, but if you do then you can't have Prior down at 8; Samit should've dropped down there instead.

 

[Neil Pickup]

OK, Sky, we get it. The BCCI are idiots and DRS would favour their spinners.

Stop discussing it every five minutes.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I think Patel is batting six on principle more than anything else. It lets the fans, the media, the captain and most importantly Patel himself know that he's in the side to make runs first and to bowl innocuous straight break half-volleys second. I think Patel's selection would becoming more confusing if he was batting seven.

One that which was silly though was Prior batting eight in the first innings once Jimmy was used as a nightwatchman. If you want to use a nightwatchman then that's fine, but if you do then you can't have Prior down at 8; Samit should've dropped down there instead.

Hard to know what to make of Sammy, really. Think he gets another go mainly because he's been sawn off twice.

Although admittedly he was probably out in his first knock before he was given out wrongly.

Bairstow in for Bell and Monty in for Bres would be the way I'd go.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Bairstow in for Bell and Monty in for Bres would be the way I'd go.

That is how i'd go as well, can't see the Indian pitches having much in them for the sort of nibblers that Bresnan likes to bowl so may as well give ourselves more of a chance by bowling a good 2nd spinner in Monty.

 

[wpdavid]

Hard to know what to make of Sammy, really. Think he gets another go mainly because he's been sawn off twice.

Although admittedly he was probably out in his first knock before he was given out wrongly.

Bairstow in for Bell and Monty in for Bres would be the way I'd go.

Just adding my agreement to FJ's. Almost beyond debate, actually.

 

[Jono]

It is very upsetting to me that India cannot bowl out England twice. I think Dhoni has been poor not to bowl Yuvraj more. I am very close to losing all support of this team.

What the?
Yuvraj has bowled pus Everytime he got the ball.

Out of all the times in the last two years to e angry at this Indian team now is not one of those times.

Dhoni must go though. Keeping has fallen away badly enough where his value is only the fact no one else is a suitable captain yet.

 

[NasserFan207]

Hard to know what to make of Sammy, really. Think he gets another go mainly because he's been sawn off twice.

Although admittedly he was probably out in his first knock before he was given out wrongly.

Bairstow in for Bell and Monty in for Bres would be the way I'd go.

Ganguly noted that he has a technical flaw of playing with your feet over the line of the ball as opposed to inside the line. One works better in England, the other works better in the subcontinent. It basically means even though he was unlucky with the decision it was only a matter of time until someone got him lbw.

 

[shankar]

Was it a mistake to take the second new ball when the old one was reversing?

 

[Prince EWS]

Hard to know what to make of Sammy, really. Think he gets another go mainly because he's been sawn off twice.

Although admittedly he was probably out in his first knock before he was given out wrongly.

Bairstow in for Bell and Monty in for Bres would be the way I'd go.

Yeah, fully agree. I'm not a big fan of Patel but Morgan is a no-no in general and moving Compton back down into the middle order for the rest of this tour and then moving him back up when Bell is available again seems needlessly complicated for a player in his first series, so that means no to Root as well. Bresnan at seven would be a more serious option if he was actually adding something with the ball too; as it stands he can't play the second Test, so the team picks itself from there.