***Official*** South Africa in India 2015

[Black_Warrior]

Vijay batted quite well. Pujara did too. Dhawan is not batting well. I agree Kohli is not batting as well as people would like. Rahane had a bad test and I wouldn't read too much into it. He batted quite well in Sri Lanka. India collapsed in the second inning but it's just not a pitch where any one can truly settle. You will eventually get a ball which will get you out. Any one who has made 50+ here has shown tremendous application actually. Worth far more than 100 on a flat track.

Yeah I agree and both Pujara and Vijay would have scored far more actually had anyone bothered to grind it out with them and offer support

 

[honestbharani]

Look it's a difficult pitch. I will concede that. But what I am finding here is, and this is something that I noticed even in the Sri Lanka series and mentioned it then, Indian top order (being that they are all younger and less than 50 tests old) still need to develop different gears to adjust in different conditions.
I think the 0-8 in 2011 and the backlash led to a strong desire to make your mark as batsmen in overseas conditions. I remember Rahane and Pujara talking about it...I remember Kohli talking about taking on Steyn before the 2013 series. Nothing wrong with that. It's absolutely fantastic and India's batting in SA 2013 and Australia 2014 is evidence of this new approach working. Look at the rate India scored against MJ and co in Australia last year.
But here's the thing...this is why Australia crumbled in UAE and England put up a much better effort. Australia are used to scoring 400 in Day 1 and get frustrated when they can't.
You have to develop other gears on slower tracks. Other than Vijay in 1st innings and Pujara in 2nd innings, no other Indian batsmen made an attempt to play the 'ugly' innings that Cook or YK or Misbah are so good at playing on these conditions. You have to grind it out, struggle, get beaten, have a few appeals but get that scratchy 70-80 that is vital in these conditions.

You can't expect to dominate from ball 1 without having done that ugly bit on these pitches. Indian batsmen just didn't spend enough time. Look at the Mishra dismissal in both innings. I understand the thinking behind this approach, but you also have to adapt based on circumstances.

These are quality batsmen though and they will learn ultimately the importance of playing that 'ugly' innings. Whether they learn soon or take time is still to be seen.

But, but, you know, if it makes batting difficult it is a "terrible" pitch. If it makes bowling difficult, it is a "great" pitch.

 

[Pratters]

What does that have to do anything? You do realize you are just showing off your idiocy here spouting crap like that. Seriously, grow up man.

It's not too different from your debating actually where you treat any one who disagrees with you with contempt showing rolls eyes and calling him an idiot. Which was exactly my point, if you are wise enough to get it.

 

[honestbharani]

Hb kindly **** off from the thread if you want to start getting worked up over some silly argument.

what the ****. I posted on topic,. He is the one who was posting crap and I called him on it. You get the **** off the thread if you dont wanna see crap posts being called crap posts.

 

[Gob]

g00d on SA to pull this back but cant see them chasing unless the demi god AB does something

 

[honestbharani]

It's not too different from your debating actually where you treat any one who disagrees with you with contempt showing rolls eyes and calling him an idiot. Which was exactly my point, if you are wise enough to get it.

Nah, I just responded in kind to ur original post, where you said it was not a good pitch coz no one scored a 100 on it.

 

[Pratters]

Yeah I agree and both Pujara and Vijay would have scored far more actually had anyone bothered to grind it out with them and offer support

Grinding on such a pitch hardly every works. Furball made a good point after day 1. It's a pitch where one should go on the counter attack when one can to get the field and bowling team on the defensive. Rahane grinded for 48 balls in the first inning to get 15. There has to be counter attack here, at least to some degree for most players.

 

[Shri]

Pitch might not be that bad but hope our collapse makes SA think this is a difficult pitch. Hope it makes them nervous.

 

[honestbharani]

What a load of crap. Everytime we collapse to spin, its because we are such bad players of spin on helpful pitches apparantly. But when india, pakistan or sri lanka collapse its because of every excuse under the sun except for spin on a helpful pitch.

Always the same crap.

Its not crap. When RSA are unable to play spinners well, you kinda expect it because they are not used to these conditions and such spinners. When Indian batsmen fail against spinners, the knives are sharpened because they grow up playing on such tracks and hence the criticism is stronger. No one is saying India are gifting this match to RSA. They have been playing one hell of an impressive game, esp. given Steyn is out injured.


I think you are just reading too much into it because a lot of posters here are Indian and we are going after our team for our inability to handle such tracks.

 

[Daemon]

ffs saha, step out and smash him, aaron won't survive long

 

[StephenZA]

Pitch might not be that bad but hope our collapse makes SA think this is a difficult pitch. Hope it makes them nervous.

Mighty Hash and God don`t get nervous!

 

[Black_Warrior]

Hb kindly **** off from the thread if you want to start getting worked up over some silly argument.

You know you added a tankfull of fuel to the fire right?

 

[Shri]

Sehwag would have put us on top on this pitch. We need to find batsmen with really tight defense from the domestic scene for home tests soon. We had Gambhir(when he was on form), Dravid, and Laxman before with aggressive batsmen playing between them to give us options with the scoring rate. Now we only have Vijay and Pujara. Maybe someone like Manoj Tiwary could offer something to this line up.

 

[Daemon]

Grinding on such a pitch hardly every works. Furball made a good point after day 1. It's a pitch where one should go on the counter attack when one can to get the field and bowling team on the defensive. Rahane grinded for 48 balls in the first inning to get 15. There has to be counter attack here, at least to some degree for most players.

Conveniently forgetting Vijay, Pujara, Jadeja and even Ashwin with vital runs in the first innings playing cautiously

 

[OverratedSanity]

what the ****. I posted on topic,. He is the one who was posting crap and I called him on it. You get the **** off the thread if you dont wanna see crap posts being called crap posts.

No need to call it "spouting idiocy" even if you think t was a silly post. You just devolve this into childish insults.

Whatever. Another 15-20 runs would be lovely.

 

[Jono]

That not out decision could be costly. If India get another 20 here could be the difference

 

[Pratters]

@ Daemon: Vijay counted attacked a lot dude. He defended a lot with soft hands but where he could he pushed at balls more than he usually does to make runs. Pujara has 6 fours. He had a similar strategy I would say. Those two have been most successful so far for India. AB has been most successful for SA who also was quite aggressive.

 

[Jono]

Saha can go a long way to making me forgive him for Adelaide here.

 

[honestbharani]

It is always the same case in wickets which offer a bit of assistance to the spinners, isn't it? A couple of batsmen get in, handle the spin well, are confident and keep ticking the scoreboard on without taking undue risks. Then someone gets out, fielders close in around the new batsmen, they don't have a clue and get tangled up with even simple defensive strokes and without much happening off the pitch at all, suddenly there is a collapse. I remember the 2004 test against Australia in Chennai when Martyn and Gillespie batted so comfortably and then suddenly Australia had a mother of all collapses.

 

[Daemon]

great over for us