***Official*** India in New Zealand 2020

[veganbob]

Much needed win. Incredible from Ross.

Great inning from Latham and the opening partnership was pretty crucial too.

 

[vandem]

India A strengthened by Pujara, Rahane and Ashwin getting a pre-test warmup,

Playing XIs:

India A
Gill, Vihari, Pujara, Shankar, Rahane, Bharat, Ashwin, Nadeem, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan, Warrier

NZ A
Rutherford, Young, Ravindra, Phillips, Seifert, Cleaver, Mitchell, Smith, Sodhi, Tickner, Nuttall

 

[Flem274*]

Rachin at #3 and young opening annoys me.

 

[vandem]

Rachin at #3 and young opening annoys me.

Why? If Young is in the test squad next week, he may as well be getting time as an opener now.

 

[nzfan]

Young showing very good patience and Rutherford played well but out softly down leg.

Rachin.... don't know what to say. Looks a million dollar but doesn't last long enough to put reasonable scores on board. Followed him in all the one day games, super smash and now this. Plays glorious shots but no idea how to bat long. That was a poor shot considering there was one more ball to go for lunch. He's still young but hope he doesn't go the Mark Ramprakash or Matthew Sinclair way...

 

[nzfan]

Now Young goes down the track to hoick and get stumped. That is very uncharacteristic shot. A good start for the first wicket but squandered.

 

[ankitj]

India A strengthened by Pujara, Rahane and Ashwin getting a pre-test warmup,

That's cheating!

 

[honestbharani]

Its match practice.

 

[honestbharani]

Also Vihari is opening in the A game. Might be signs that India will again open with Mayank and Vihari in the tests.

 

[Flem274*]

Why? If Young is in the test squad next week, he may as well be getting time as an opener now.

because rachin opens for wellington and young bats #3 for central. this experiment continuing is silly when we should be opening with latham and blundell in a couple of weeks.

i'm not even a blundell opening believer in nz conditions, but he deserves the opportunity after being our only batsman in australia.

 

[Moss]

because rachin opens for wellington and young bats #3 for central. this experiment continuing is silly when we should be opening with latham and blundell in a couple of weeks.

i'm not even a blundell opening believer in nz conditions, but he deserves the opportunity after being our only batsman in australia.

Unless they're really set on Young opening in the tests, the logical arrangement would have been Young at no.3 as Kane's replacement and Blundell opening for NZ A.

 

[vandem]

because rachin opens for wellington and young bats #3 for central. this experiment continuing is silly when we should be opening with latham and blundell in a couple of weeks....

But Young will be opening if in the test XI (unless Kane is not fit, then Blundell keeps the temporary opener spot and Young bats at #3).

 

[Flem274*]

im not a massive fan of taking a guy who has batted #3 or #4 his whole career, and has some conversion rate issues, and telling him 'we're giving you a couple of A games as opener and then you have to face bumrah, shami and yadav'.

that smells of gavin larsen's ego trying to be clever and finding the next awesome opener in an unlikely place. typical kiwi 'she'll be right' attitude instead of the hard work preparation required on the big stage. example A - australian tour with no warm ups.

i was even less impressed with the blundell to opener idea as well and it did work, but i don't think it will work long term. he doesn't get very far forward which could well be death in home conditions. after his initial success he still deserves to keep his spot and make the most of the opportunity. kicking him back to the reserves would be ridiculous.

edit - the young to opener move is especially stupid given the hot new thing in nz is an opening batsman and playing in the same A side. what better opportunity for experience against the new ball? it's just so frustrating and stupid and typical NZC strategy.

 

[Moss]

im not a massive fan of taking a guy who has batted #3 or #4 his whole career, and has some conversion rate issues, and telling him 'we're giving you a couple of A games as opener and then you have to face bumrah, shami and yadav'.

that smells of gavin larsen's ego trying to be clever and finding the next awesome opener in an unlikely place. typical kiwi 'she'll be right' attitude instead of the hard work preparation required on the big stage. example A - australian tour with no warm ups.

i was even less impressed with the blundell to opener idea as well and it did work, but i don't think it will work long term. he doesn't get very far forward which could well be death in home conditions. after his initial success he still deserves to keep his spot and make the most of the opportunity. kicking him back to the reserves would be ridiculous.

edit - the young to opener move is especially stupid given the hot new thing in nz is an opening batsman and playing in the same A side. what better opportunity for experience against the new ball? it's just so frustrating and stupid and typical NZC strategy.

Yup, harks back to the days when Bracewell used to try and shoehorn anyone into the opening slot - Fulton, Marshall, Sinclair, Fleming etc.Agree Blundell deserves the gig for now. But with the understanding that he is also in the frame as Watling's eventual replacement, not (simply) as the current and possibly long term solution to the opening problem.

 

[vandem]

... edit - the young to opener move is especially stupid given the hot new thing in nz is an opening batsman and playing in the same A side. what better opportunity for experience against the new ball? it's just so frustrating and stupid and typical NZC strategy.

The "hot new thing" is not ready for test cricket. Young is.

The other opener options are not better than Young. Other options are experienced but have had flaws exposed at test level, or experienced but nearing the end of FC career, or converted middle order strokemakers, or too early in FC career and don't have the patience.

 

[Kippax]

Young's leaving of the moving ball was very good yesterday. Some gentle tapping back of half-volleys to the bowlers and the cover field, but it wasn't the worst 26(101). Just the dismissal was a shocker, probably hinted of the lack of stamina-building knocks for him in recent times.

NZA possibly should be used as a sandbox like that sometimes if you've got Central Districts to deal with, probably putting their own very small beans and their Plunket title hopes as the highest priority. Even though the No. 3 and No. 4 Test spots have ATG players in them and have for years and will for maybe three more years, their thinking has stayed in that disappointing 'rural people fear change' sort of mode, playing Young where he'll serve CD the best.

 

[nzfan]

We have to find Young a spot now. No point in waiting for months when he's had few low scores and then giving him a go. I don't see any flaws in his game right now. He''s able to weather the storm early on and sure he's not had a big score but he's looking very capable every inning. I don't think Blundell is going to survive at the top of the order long. He can comfortably fit in at no.5 with BJ at 6 and Blundell at 7. The lineup looks solid with Latham, Blundell, Kane, Rosco, Nicholls, BJ and Blundell. The newer generation of Seifert, Phillips and Ravindra are all stroke makers. When they become permanent either they will lose few wickets quickly or take away the game from the opponents in a session or two. That said for this to happen there has to be Kane, Rosco and Nicholls like players in the mix. I think these will not criss cross careers and that'd be a shame. Nicholls and Young are two players I feel are capable of grinding the opponents down for long periods of time.

 

[TheBrand]

I like the cut of Young's jib, however I still feel like he's slipped down the pecking order while he's been injured. Surely when Watling retires our top 6 looks something like this:

Latham
Conway
KW
Ross
Nicholls
Blundell

And I assume when Ross retires, Nicholls will move up to 4 then my boy Phillips will come in at 5.

 

[straw man]

We only have two more tests this summer and then nothing until next home season afaik. By next summer any number of things could've changed - Conway available, Young, Blundell's and Ravindra's form and record, and it's not impossible that Taylor and/or Watling could retire too. The situation could easily have changed so much that any thoughts or decisions now are rendered void.

Just give Blundell the two India tests as opener and reassess next season imo.

 

[Jezroy]

We only have two more tests this summer and then nothing until next home season afaik. By next summer any number of things could've changed - Conway available, Young, Blundell's and Ravindra's form and record, and it's not impossible that Taylor and/or Watling could retire too. The situation could easily have changed so much that any thoughts or decisions now are rendered void.

Just give Blundell the two India tests as opener and reassess next season imo.

Two tests in Bangladesh in Aug/Sept

I reckon Ross will play those, and the home summer, then let it go.

I don’t think he’s done yet, and I don’t think he’d want the two Bangers tests to be his last.

So play the World T20, play one more home summer where he can feast on some Windies and Pakistan bowling at familiar venues. Then retire having played 108 tests. And watching us not get into the WTC final...

But anyway, we sadly have hardly any cricket in our 2021 winter. So I don’t think he’ll then hang on for our 2021-22 home summer -
Currently 2 tests vs Bangladesh then 2 tests vs South Africa. Mind you the 2022 winter has 3 tests in England, then 1 in Ireland.