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

[cnerd123]

No surprises the waaahing is back after the fall of a couple of wickets.

 

[Pratters]

The reason the pitch looked different for a little bit when Amla and Du Plessis were batting was very simple, they had managed to occupy the crease and adapt. I am not expert on cricket or batting but the only thing I picked up/learned from Inzy and YK was that everytime they got a hundred and were asked how they went about it, they always had the same answer "I just tried to stay at the wicket". And when you do that, suddenly it looks like the pitch flattened out. Then a wicket falls, a new guy comes in and the pitch is the same again.

Yea exactly. You need to be looking to score runs in order to make mistakes to lose your wicket. If you instead look to occupy the crease and just put the bad balls away, batting looks easy.

No one really has the patience anymore for such old-school style batting though. And some take it to the other extreme - getting into their shell and just blocking everything without putting all the bad balls away.

Batting isn't easy.

If it was possible to adapt and score runs, at least some one would have managed 75 if not 100, right? It's a wicket one can survive on and make runs but you can't really be set. That's the problem for me as it makes batting a lottery.

 

[Pratters]

No surprises the waaahing is back after the fall of a couple of wickets.

I retorted before the wickets fell. This is the problem with your argumenting style. You try to dumb down the other person's argument. Doesn't make you any more right or wrong really.

 

[Black_Warrior]

If it was possible to adapt and score runs, at least some one would have managed 75 if not 100, right? It's a wicket one can survive on and make runs but you can't really be set. That's the problem for me as it makes batting a lottery.

True. This is certainly a very very difficult pitch. I am not denying that. The debate is though, whether this is good/bad for cricket. This is not something new. Teams have always prepared pitches to enhance their strengths and nullify the opposition. When Pakistan toured India in 1987, India produced 4 roads to nullify and tire out Imran and Wasim, and then a rank turner in the 5th test at Bangalore for a result. It's been going on for a while. Australia will not produce a seaming track for Anderson and Broad when England tour.

 

[Daemon]

If it was possible to adapt and score runs, at least some one would have managed 75 if not 100, right? It's a wicket one can survive on and make runs but you can't really be set. That's the problem for me as it makes batting a lottery.

you've said the same thing about 30 times in this thread and no doubt ***** is going to reply with something he's been going on about since the start of today

it's extremely tedious so please for the love of god, please stop talking about the pitch everyone

 

[indiaholic]

If it was possible to adapt and score runs, at least some one would have managed 75 if not 100, right? It's a wicket one can survive on and make runs but you can't really be set. That's the problem for me as it makes batting a lottery.

It is not a lottery. It is just a pitch with 230-250 as the par score. If somebody scores a 100 on a pitch where the total is going to be 230, then it is not the expected result. It is a ****ing brilliant effort.

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

a bit of hope since its the last recognized pair

 

[Tec15]

Yea exactly. You need to be looking to score runs in order to make mistakes to lose your wicket. If you instead look to occupy the crease and just put the bad balls away, batting looks easy.

Batting never looked easy even when Amla and Faf were batting. In fact it looked like a constant struggle. But carry on with your nonsense.

 

[indiaholic]

Yep batting was never easy and never will be easy on this pitch. That is a good thing.

 

[cnerd123]

If it was possible to adapt and score runs, at least some one would have managed 75 if not 100, right? It's a wicket one can survive on and make runs but you can't really be set. That's the problem for me as it makes batting a lottery.

You don't use the word lottery well. No one denies this pitch is really difficult, and that seeing a 50+ score from a batsman here would be exceptional. But to call it a lottery implies that how long a batsman can stay at the crease is somehow out of his control, which it clearly isn't. Sure they will never be set. Sure they have to fight and grind and bat slowly and ugly and be prepared to face a 170 balls for just 30 odd runs. But it's not a 'lottery'. It's not impossible. It's not unplayable. That's what we are all saying.

This was always going to be a low scoring, slow moving pitch. But the way batsmen on both sides batted -a few exceptions aside- show a lack of temperament and often poor technique against spin. Amla and Faf just demonstrated how to bat on this wicket, and they're both struggling for form this tour. This definitely isn't that bad a pitch that it should be blamed for the game ending so soon. If batsmen on both sides were willing to apply themselves and look ugly, we'd have 250 vs 250 scorelines and the game entering the 4th day quite easily.

 

[cnerd123]

Batting never looked easy even when Amla and Faf were batting. In fact it looked like a constant struggle. But carry on with your nonsense.

Was a general statement and not related to this particular game, but ok.


And yea okay enough pitch talk. I'm tired too.

 

[Tec15]

Get out after batting defensively: "Meh, just went too much into his shell. Should have looked to score more. Nought to do with the pitch."
Get out after looking to score: "Meh, he just played a bad shot. Should have looked to play more carefully. Nought to do with the pitch."

 

[morgieb]

On a similar note to the pitch talk, is this the worst tour thread of all time?

 

[social]

It is not a lottery. It is just a pitch with 230-250 as the par score. If somebody scores a 100 on a pitch where the total is going to be 230, then it is not the expected result. It is a ****ing brilliant effort.

Considering that no-one has got close, 230-250 as a par score seems very generous

 

[indiaholic]

Almost certainly. This is at least at the same level as my Murali's action thread.

 

[Pratters]

It's very much a lottery here as no one can be set. You are going to be out any where between 0-40. All you can do is try to a) grit it out or b) try to hit out. Most people have tried to hit out haven't succeeded but you could easily have had Kohli or Sharma score 30/40 instead of 15/20. Duminy is following this path.

 

[cnerd123]

On a similar note to the pitch talk, is this the worst tour thread of all time?

I almost want to cry

 

[indiaholic]

Considering that no-one has got close, 230-250 as a par score seems very generous

India was 15 runs away and they were intent in declaration batting in the second innings for some reason.

 

[Teja.]

Nope, not close.

In my watch, NZ v. WI was considerably worse at the peak of WW/Blocky's powers.

Oz/Ind at the time of Sydney '08 was apparently a delight too.

Ind/Eng 2011 was an entire subforum of woe.

 

[Cabinet96]

I almost want to cry

You're contributing to it.