***Official*** India in South Africa 2017/18

[StephenZA]

Seriously though, what is India's plan here... can't get the ball off the square, not scoring runs. But still 3 wickets down. Wait for tomorrow and hope Rohit does something special?

 

[OverratedSanity]

And now de Kock DOESN'T throw it up and it's a fainty...

Oh we're getting a phainty all right

 

[Daemon]

Wonder how long we'll have to wait during these tours for the Indian fans to start saying stuff like, ''test cricket is dead: the best cricket is now found in the IPL''?

Classical Indian fans when there team play bad shots and get out

Been a great thread so far despite veganbob. Please don't do this.

 

[subshakerz]

As much as SA's batting now is weaker compared to past years when they had Graeme Smith, Kallis and an in-form Amla, I actually think the pace quartet of the past two tests is better than what India faced in 2006, 2010 and 2013.

 

[cnerd123]

Seriously though, what is India's plan here... can't get the ball off the square, not scoring runs. But still 3 wickets down. Wait for tomorrow and hope Rohit does something special?

the plan is to just bat

 

[cnerd123]

Been a great thread so far despite veganbob. Please don't do this.

and despite Firebreaker

It's sad how the BCCI being ****s, India being beastly at home, and toxic Indian fans on other part of the interwebs lead to Indian tour threads on CW being contaminated by rubbish like this.

I mean, I get it if you wanna direct it at the Cheeting Aussies, the Imperialist Brits, or even the Kiwaaahs, but the RANDIs are absolute sweethearts

 

[OverratedSanity]

I actually think the pace quartet of the past two tests is better than what India faced in 2006, 2010 and 2013.

Oh,yeah pretty easily

 

[Top Cat]

As much as SA's batting now is weaker compared to past years when they had Graeme Smith, Kallis and an in-form Amla, I actually think the pace quartet of the past two tests is better than what India faced in 2006, 2010 and 2013.

For sure. It was Steyn and Morkel leading the attack but little else after that, with Tsotsobe, Paul Harris and Jacques Kallis towards the end of his career. Now with 4 main fast bowlers and a decent spinner the bowling is fantastic in these conditions. Will still struggle in the subcontinent without 1 or 2 awesome spinners.

The batting line ups around the world are definitely a lot worse than 10 years ago. There's a significant lack of quality besides one or two batsmen in each team.

 

[StephenZA]

Pujara doing a good job here... still my favourite Indian batsmen.

 

[subshakerz]

Ashwin has to take blame for a non-performance on a friendly pitch on day 3-4. I seriously thought the situation was primed for him to tear into SA's middle and lower order. The pacers were tight and mostly did their job. To be wicketless for a high class spinner for around 30 overs on this pitch is inexcusable.

This is his second major non-performance after failing to make an impact in Durban last time around when the situation was set for an Indian victory.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Atleast we got to see a Kohli masterclass... I called him getting a double the moment he got to around 15. He's one of those batsmen who you watch and pretty much know within the first few overs whether it'll be a big innings. Just needed one other top order bat to hang around with him.

 

[StephenZA]

Atleast we got to see a Kohli masterclass... I called him getting a double the moment he got to around 15. He's one of those batsmen who you watch and pretty much know within the first few overs whether it'll be a big innings. Just needed one other top order bat to hang around with him.

Maybe if Rahane was playing..... (jumping on the Indian complaint bandwagon!)

 

[OverratedSanity]

Ashwin has to take blame for a non-performance on a friendly pitch on day 3-4. I seriously thought the situation was primed for him to tear into SA's middle and lower order. The pacers were tight and mostly did their job. To be wicketless for fa high class spinner for 30 overs on this pitch is inexcusable.

This is his second major non-performance after failing to make an impact in Durban last time around when the situation was set for an Indian victory.

You mean Joburg? Yeah but atleast he had the excuse of an unresponsive surface that time. Not so here.

 

[subshakerz]

Yeah, Johannesburg, sorry.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Maybe if Rahane was playing..... (jumping on the Indian complaint bandwagon!)

Tbf, as much as I want to rant about Rahane not playing I don't think he would've made a difference here. The pitch was about as unsuited to him as possible. I'd have backed him to do all right in the first test though.

 

[Boris_Dog]

It's utterly insane how often they produce top class fast bowlers. Would love some kind of in depth look at all the factors involved.

Pap and wors! There are plenty strong all young men growing up in Africa.

Actually it has a lot to do with the wickets in ZAF. All the wickets I played as s school boy are what you would call lively. Fast bowlers are rewarded with wickets(dismissals) and encouraged accordingly. For the same reason we have struggled to create decent spinners.

Things have changed wrt attitudes towards spinners but in most games of beach or garden cricket you will still see kids trying to take eachothers heads off with a tennis ball for a good laugh.

 

[S.Kennedy]

10 overs lost today.

 

[StephenZA]

Pap and wors! There are plenty strong all young men growing up in Africa.

Actually it has a lot to do with the wickets in ZAF. All the wickets I played as s school boy are what you would call lively. Fast bowlers are rewarded with wickets(dismissals) and encouraged accordingly. For the same reason we have struggled to create decent spinners.

Things have changed wrt attitudes towards spinners but in most games of beach or garden cricket you will still see kids trying to take eachothers heads off with a tennis ball for a good laugh.

I don't think the Indians in the thread have any idea what Pap is (or Wors!)....

But to add to what you are saying, we know our speedsters, have great resources that the minute any potential is picked up it gets fine tuned and sent to academies or picked up by the top schools... our improvement in spinners probably has a lot to do with some of the Indian training camps we`ve had for the number of years.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Well done Parthiv. Atleast he did something right this test. Match looks pretty much over. Pujara may fight but it's hard to see where the runs are going to come from. Strokeplay looks impossible.

 

[vcs]

Been a great thread so far despite veganbob. Please don't do this.

Yep, SA fans are the best to get along with TBH. Helps that their team is so likable as well. Will feel a lot worse when the likes of Broad and Starc are rolling us over.