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

[anaksr]

This shows it all.

 

[Gob]

That list went down like a tracer bullet

**** wrong thread etc

 

[stephen]

Imagine being really happy that you don't have to face the world's best fast bowler only to have his replacement debut and take a match winning 6/39 and affect a run out on your best batsman.

 

[Motorwada]

Ah, I love selective stats dredging to prove some sort of point.

But as it happens, you are wrong. You missed out on the 2001/02 series which SA won 1-0. And even that underestimates South Africa's superiority because it should have been 2-0, but India threw an almighty temper tantrum and the third test did not have test status (A taste of things to come from the BCCI)

So, even if we start by your preference of beginning the count after arbitrarily (and conveniently) leaving out the series where SA comprehensively won in India, they are still ahead during that time frame. In that time they have won 4 series at home (1-0, 2-1, 1-0, 2-0*) and drawn only once (1-1) with an overall record of 7-2 (Should actually be 8-2 remember, and with the whitewash still to come to make it 9-2 potentially). India in contrast have won only 2 series at home (1-0, 3-0) and drawn twice (Both 1-1) with an overall record of 6-2. Four series wins at home and two draws away seem to be superior to two wins at home and only one draw away. Even India's 6-2 record is misleading because it rests on the last (3-0) series with absolutely unprepared bunsens, rated poor by the ICC, and where Dean Elgar became a genuine wicket taking threat. Before that SA were always competitive in India. And contrast those pitches with the India-friendly flat ones gifted by CSA this time in Centurion (And in Johannesburg and Durban in 2013/14) where India still can't win and the contrast becomes even more glaring.

Arbitrarily pick and choose to find a stretch of series's where it looks like India in SA are the equivalent of SA in India all you like, but it does not change the facts. India have never been and currently are not, as good or competitive in South Africa, as South Africa have been in India. Rant over!

1. Should have been could have been is all nonsense. I could make some rubbish excuse like if it was a real match and SRT was not blamed then India would have more enthusiasm etc etc crap. Thing is it is not a test match. Also the 3rd test has not yet been done so taking it into consideration is useless. Potentially even SA can get whitewashed in 2019 considering it will be a team of greenhorns on their first tour to India with a few 36 year olds who still remain. So don't take those into consideration.

2. The rant about the pitches is of no use and has racial overtones. The idea of "unprepared bunsens" and the delusion by the SA journalist who replied to Kohli about SA losing because of the "pitches" is purely biased. The first Cape Town pitch also seamed and swung and was over in 3 days. But it won't be rated poor by ICC because of you know what. Also in India SA actually were better off playing against the dustbowls as in the friendly flat pitch of Delhi they lost heavily. As far as friendly pitches go SA got pretty friendly pitches in Ahmedabad 08 and Nagpur 10 which assisted their seamers who were ineffective in Chennai 08 and Calcutta 10 so SA too have got friendly conditions in India. Like I said the idea of certain pitches being substandard while others are not even if they are 3 day pitches reeks of white privilege. I do realize that South Africa as a country has not had a particularly easy relationship with race and while things have become better it still persists beneath the surface especially during conversations which focus on the negative effects of 'quotas' while never really questioning the structures in place due to which 9% of the population has control over so much of cricket (amongst various other things).

 

[Burgey]

I realise the Cricket this series has been compelling, but if you aren’t rating as the absolute highlight that lbw review which India took which hit the middle of the bat then you forfeit your right to love the game.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

That was a seriously immature press conference from Virat, even by his own standards. He has a Trumpesqe inability to ever accept any criticism or admit to mistakes

 

[cnerd123]

Welcome to Indian Cricket, where the basis' for selection are made up and performances don't matter.

 

[NZTailender]

Any highlights of Ngidi's bowling? Know literally nothing about him so keen to see what he's like.

 

[Daemon]

Most teams would be absolutely ****ed after losing bowlers of the quality of Steyn and Abbott.

 

[Anil]

the plan would be to fold up sometime before lunch tomorrow assuming weather permits of course...

Mission accomplished!

 

[weldone]

This shows it all.

haha amazing

 

[stephen]

Most teams would be absolutely ****ed after losing bowlers of the quality of Steyn and Abbott.

Agreed. England will be jumping for joy to have a bowler of Abbott's quality the next time they tour Australia.

Steyn I think is icing now for the South African bowling attack. If he's fit he plays because he's an ATG. But if he's not fit there's plenty of talent to fit the void.

 

[stephen]

That was a seriously immature press conference from Virat, even by his own standards. He has a Trumpesqe inability to ever accept any criticism or admit to mistakes

He really needs to lose the captaincy. Right now he thinks himself bigger than the game and the BCCI need to knock him down a peg for the long term health of the Indian side. They need to get in a quality coaching and selection team who have the authority to say no to the captain and not lose their jobs.

The handling of Kumble was an utter disgrace. India will always be strong at home but right now we're seeing what happens when you give someone with the ego of Kohli all the power and none of the responsibility.

If Kohli was an Australian captain in this position he would rightly be criticised heavily if he wasn't making changes. Certainly no Australian captain would fall back on "but we beat them when they toured us".

 

[Chrish]

I wonder if Kohli would be able to play "under" anyone if demoted from captaincy.

And Shastri isn't doing his status a coach any favor by being a yes-man.. I mean it's embarrassing!

 

[Rasimione]

I wonder if Kohli would be able to play "under" anyone if demoted from captaincy.

And Shastri isn't doing his status a coach any favor by being a yes-man.. I mean it's embarrassing!

On the basis of what I've seen he'd be a nightmare to manage. You look at the team and there's not a lot of old heads to call him out on his bullshit. It doesn't help that his "coach" is spineless.

 

[stephen]

The thing is, if Kohli isn't taught that he's not bigger than the game then he will cause more harm than good to India long term.

Right now he's India's best overseas bat so he really can't be dropped. But with two or three humiliations under his belt he might be able to be dropped from the captaincy.

Someone in the BCCI needs to tell him to pull his head in and take charge of setting India up for the long term or they will forever win at home and lose away.

 

[cnerd123]

The thing is, if Kohli isn't taught that he's not bigger than the game then he will cause more harm than good to India long term.

I think it's too late for that tbh

 

[sphynx]

The thing is, if Kohli isn't taught that he's not bigger than the game then he will cause more harm than good to India long term.

Right now he's India's best overseas bat so he really can't be dropped. But with two or three humiliations under his belt he might be able to be dropped from the captaincy.

Someone in the BCCI needs to tell him to pull his head in and take charge of setting India up for the long term or they will forever win at home and lose away.

I'm sure the Australians will be getting into him about averaging 9.2 in his last home series, will be interesting to see how he reacts.

 

[vcs]

Q: "There is talk of India doing well in India but not overseas. Do you still believe you're the best side in the world?"
Kohli: "Look, we have to believe that we are the best side. Even when we came here, if you don't have the belief that you can win the series here, there is no point coming here. We have not come here just to participate. And answering your question, sir, how many times did South Africa come into the game in India? Coming close to winning games in India? Can you count?"

Q: "That's because of the pitches."

Kohli: "But we are not complaining about Cape Town either. The game was finished in three days, one [day] was a washout. So look, we are not complaining about pitches, we are not complaining about conditions. We have come here to play. As I said, we have had equal opportunities to win in both games, and that's the positive we can take out of it, but I'm not sitting here comforting my guys. So I don't know what you are listening to, but I'm asking everyone to be hard on themselves."

The actual quotes aren't really as bad or as arrogant as people have made it sound, clearly he was only talking about the 2015 series and not SA's historical competitiveness in India (which is clearly better than India in SA). And yeah, if the Cape Town pitch was fair and great for cricket, so were Nagpur, Mohali etc. All valid points.

 

[harsh.ag]

Kohli is fine (apart from selection) and this is an overreaction. And the press coverage is rubbish in both directions.