***Official*** New Zealand in India 2016

[Kippax]

Nah it won't be Santner, as much as I want to see Howsie's love for his batting reach a climax. Hesson in that same article goes on to say he expects Ashwin to open the bowling, therefore two left-handed openers would be dumb.

 

[Zinzan]

I know Hesson's probably still in credit with what he and Bmac achieved with the team in the last 3-4 years, but fmd he's making some peculiar calls of late.

 

[Kippax]

There's nothing wrong with Ronchi vs. Guptill/Raval being a thing here. Auckland needs a better cricket ground if it wants to dial down the gormless clumsy munt factor coming through in a lot of its bats.

 

[Zinzan]

Yeah so you keep telling us. Basically means Auckland can never have a test batsman again because they play some games on a small ground...we get it.

 

[Kippax]

Been a long time since Auckland produced a substantive red ball batsman for the country's cause. it's true. Not sure what Rob Nicol as skipper can say to Glenn Phillips, Chapman and Robbie O, other than "do as I say, not as I do".

 

[Flem274*]

the problem with the outer oval isn't size it's that they screwed up the deliveries so that the motorway went to the cricket ground and the cricket pitch went to the motorway.

 

[Flem274*]

and hesson is weird

 

[straw man]

Heh. If we're going for a joke opener for this series, and this series alone, then it should definitely be Mark Craig. Even though he's a left-hander.

 

[NZTailender]

This feels like a step back into the Bracewell age. Apart from Andrew Hall quite a few years back, I can't really remember a makeshift opener who usually bats <6 making a decent score or wearing out the new ball that well.

I guess the idea for India might be not so much wearing out the new ball but attacking the pop-gun Indian seamers before they bring on their spin coterie, in which case Ronchi opening probably won't be any worse than Guptill tbh.

Just pisses me off, though. Have a proper side with specialist roles ffs.

 

[hendrix]

I'm all for radical thinking and if this group think Santner, or Ronchi or anyone else are better equipped to open in India than Jeet is, then let's see it. If Gup fails in Test 1 or at the latest Test 2, put the wheels in motion.

Look radical thinking in selection is fine, but you have to consider the end goals of selection:

1. Pick the best team to win now.
2. Pick the team that's likely to provide and nurture long term success. This means selecting for different conditions, picking young players, developing players, but also fundamentally having a selection policy that encourages domestic players to push for a test spot through improving their performance.
Now it's very obvious that these goals contradict each other; this is the real world.

However, there are very real problems with the selection of Luke Ronchi and the continued presence of Martin Guptill - and frankly Ish Sodhi. I'm not going to point them out for you...

The point is that "radical" selection or otherwise, you shouldn't lose sight of the goals. It's the same as McCullum's hyper-aggressive captaincy - is it really the best way to win the test or series? Sometimes it isn't.

 

[Athlai]

Wait what? What spinner are we going to pluck out of thin air that will be better than Sodhi? Patel isn't an option. Tastle is a spud.

 

[Chrish]

Can kiwis recruit some of the Saffas from domestic? I am sure quite a few would be looking for a way out after new quota?

 

[NZTailender]

Wait what? What spinner are we going to pluck out of thin air that will be better than Sodhi? Patel isn't an option. Tastle is a spud.

Mark Houghton

 

[NZTailender]

Wait what? What spinner are we going to pluck out of thin air that will be better than Sodhi? Patel isn't an option. Tastle is a spud.

Jono Boult

#BlockyThoughts #OrWasItGrumpy

 

[hendrix]

Wait what? What spinner are we going to pluck out of thin air that will be better than Sodhi? Patel isn't an option. Tastle is a spud.

If we're picking a leggie, it should be Tastle. Spud he may be, but so is Sodhi.

 

[Athlai]

If we're picking a leggie, it should be Tastle. Spud he may be, but so is Sodhi.

I reckon Tastle would get absolutely slaughtered. I have vague memories of him just tossing the ball up and letting it float through the air for seemingly an age. Just don't think that would threaten the Indians at all, at least Sodhi actually looks a bit threatening every now and then before serving up the inevitable couple pies.

That said I haven't seen Tastle bowl in the longer form since he had that one off Test.

 

[Kippax]

 

[Zinzan]

Nah, Sodhi over Tastle even if the former is susceptible to those half-trackers. Sodhi's bounce when he does land it is underrated.

 

[cnerd123]

He honestly looks pretty good in the clip.

Could afford to toss it up a bit more, but I think he'll go alright at Nat level.

 

[Zinzan]

He's okay, gets slow turn though and not much bounce. He probably is more consistent at landing it than Sodhi, but I could see the Indian's playing his slow turn with relative ease, whereas I can actually see Sodhi bowling more deliveries that could actually get wickets.