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

[honestbharani]

Lol @ the usual two suspects making the same stupid posts. The game was lost when India were bowled out for 160 odd after being 79 for 3 in the first inning and then let NZ make 350 after being 220 odd for 7. The third innings collapse of 140 for 4 to 190 is pretty telling too. Its absolutely stupid IF Kohli was blaming the toss for the loss. Irrespective of the toss, as a batting side, except on an absolute turner or seamer, you should not 79 for 3 turn to 165 all out and expect to win games. Kohli played silly shots to get out both digs but its ok to have a bad game. Same with Bumrah. These guys are quality and will find a way back. The worry is folks like Shami and Pujara and to an extent Rahane. Shami just looked totally listless and there is no point in being a second innings specialist when you bowl so poorly in the first that there is no second innings to bowl in.

And I don't disagree with whoever it was who posted that Vihari does not look like an opener but within the current squad, our best chance, I still feel is to play Jadeja at 7 and Vihari at the top and play with 5 bowlers. We cannot overwork two guys who are returning from injury and the one lead spinner who had injury issues entire last season and hope to do better. India will have done much better had they had Jadeja instead of Shaw here and I honestly do not think NZ would have scored more than 250 which might have made it a very different game in the third dig.

NZ were thoroughly professional. Jamieson continues to impress and I hope for NZ's sake he turns out to be better than Tuffey or Oram, the last guys who did this well against India but then ended up having underwhelming careers. Our batting can sometimes be so bad that it gives other teams a false sense of how good their own players are. But KW's innings inspite of his iinjury and Ross Taylor's calculated aggression are all things our batsmen can learn from and do better next time.

I dont mind Ravi Shastri's interview of saying he wants us to play like the #1 side in the world, but he has to know it is something that some in this team might get carried away by. I feel Sanjay Bangar was a good calming, keeping their feet on the ground type of presence in this team management. Not really sure if anyone is upto it now.

It is fun to see all the happiness at our failure. It does mean the team is doing well, I think. So we will see what people have to say after the next test.

 

[nzfan]

This is probably India's worst performance since England mopped the floor with them in the second test of the 2018 series. It's worth keeping in mind that India turned around and hammered England by 200 runs a week later.

Before the start of the test series, I thought India was unbeatable and will mow us. I was bracing for another test series loss. I just forgot how badly India has played test cricket in NZ most of the times but somehow the averages of their batters and the way they were smashing the teams in India with their fast bowling was making me nervous.

After this test I can feel wee bit more comfortable and bit of relief as well. There is no way Black Caps are inferior to India and particularly in our conditions. This is a very pleasing feeling

 

[Bahnz]

Btw, if NZ manages to win this series, would it be the first time that they've won a series against the #1 ranked side since the 79/80 win over the Windies? I'm guessing it would be.
WI were #1's presumably from 80-95, and the best we managed was a 1-1 draw in 88.
Aus were then Presumably #1 from 95-08, and again the best we managed was a 0-0 draw in 01/02
Then it was India 08-11 (who beat us home and away), England 2011-2012 (whom we didn't play), and SA 2012-2015 (who thumped us on a couple of different occasions).

 

[Daemon]

I’d play

Shaw
Agarwal
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Vihari
Pant
Jadeja
Ishant
Shami
Bumrah

I won’t be upset with an unchanged XI or the one HB suggested either, as I believe they’re all marginal calls that could go either way.

 

[Bahnz]

Before the start of the test series, I thought India was unbeatable and will mow us. I was bracing for another test series loss. I just forgot how badly India has played test cricket in NZ most of the times but somehow the averages of their batters and the way they were smashing the teams in India with their fast bowling was making me nervous.

After this test I can feel wee bit more comfortable and bit of relief as well. There is no way Black Caps are inferior to India and particularly in our conditions. This is a very pleasing feeling

We'll see. Bumrah's under performance is the biggest issue I feel for India. He gave them a vital cutting edge during their 2018 rise to overseas competitiveness, and without him at his best the bowling attack looks a little soft. They desperately need him to shake off the funk he's in and pick up a bag this weekend. So far he's looked fairly listless (and maybe a bit down on pace?) all tour. Asides from that, Kohli will remain a massive threat and Rahane too, but the rest of the batting looks shaky imo. Pujara has little experience of playing in NZ and even less success. Agarwal looks in miserable form (although he was starting to scrap his way back yesterday), and both Pant and Shaw look like they really don't have the technique/temperament for such radically unfamiliar conditions. But all that could be nullified if the real Bumrah turns up for India and blows NZ away in the first innings for 120, which he's fully capable of.

 

[OverratedSanity]

There are just too many batsmen in the lineup who are poor in these kind of seam friendly conditions, it's simply too dependant on kohli. Need bumrah to find his mojo or its going to be a repeat.

I think pant is probably capable of a decent innings as long as he comes in without needing to immediately bat with the tail, but the likes of Shaw, Pujara inspire no confidence.

 

[OverratedSanity]

India will have done much better had they had Jadeja instead of Shaw here and I honestly do not think NZ would have scored more than 250 which might have made it a very different game in the third dig.

You really think that one change would've affected the score to that extent? Jadeja is good but that seems like a stretch.

Shaw does look absolutely woeful though. Shri not being here to witness it is disappointing.

 

[Bahnz]

Btw, I really hope the bowlers publish the celebratory Mt Victoria piss up photo this year, with the bowling squad lined up from shortest (Ajaz at about 5'6") to tallest (Jamieson at 6'8").

 

[Flem274*]

backing a finger spinner to make the difference in nz is brave. only 2 (lyon and maharaj) have done it and both also hail from anti-spin nations.

nz has been very krytonitic for india. even the side that won here against a bad nz side hit plenty of bumps.

i still back them to bounce back. the big 3 are genuinely world class and the 3 quicks speak for themselves.

wagner back in for jamieson should be the only change. long tail but you can't drop wagner and 5 seamers is overkill.

 

[Flem274*]

Btw, I really hope the bowlers publish the celebratory Mt Victoria piss up photo this year, with the bowling squad lined up from shortest (Ajaz at about 5'5") to tallest (Jamieson at 6'8").

thierry henry likes this.

speaking of which im gonna state cdg 'the big man' isn't actually very big. he took a selfie with my friend and she's 5 foot 3 on a good day. he's not towering over her. i reckon he's 5 foot 10 at best. nickname needs amending to 'the stocky man'

also before i read thierrys posts i literally wouldnt have the slightest interest in this. look what he's done to us.

 

[Flem274*]

Oh yeah and finally i should publicly cop my taste and admit southee is still good in nz.

 

[Burgey]

backing a finger spinner to make the difference in nz is brave. only 2 (lyon and maharaj) have done it and both also hail from anti-spin nations.

nz has been very krytonitic for india. even the side that won here against a bad nz side hit plenty of bumps.

i still back them to bounce back. the big 3 are genuinely world class and the 3 quicks speak for themselves.

wagner back in for jamieson should be the only change. long tail but you can't drop wagner and 5 seamers is overkill.

Who are the big three you're referring to? I assume Kohli, Pujara and AN Other, but who?

 

[Bahnz]

Who are the big three you're referring to? I assume Kohli, Pujara and AN Other, but who?

Rahane probably. He's got a strong overseas record, a hundred in NZ and looked good in both innings of this test.

 

[Flem274*]

your fave player rahane

 

[_Ed_]

Btw, I really hope the bowlers publish the celebratory Mt Victoria piss up photo this year, with the bowling squad lined up from shortest (Ajaz at about 5'6") to tallest (Jamieson at 6'8").

Ajaz is a devout Muslim, isn't he? Hope that's considered amongst the drinking and shenanigans.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

Btw, if NZ manages to win this series, would it be the first time that they've won a series against the #1 ranked side since the 79/80 win over the Windies? I'm guessing it would be.
WI were #1's presumably from 80-95, and the best we managed was a 1-1 draw in 88.
Aus were then Presumably #1 from 95-08, and again the best we managed was a 0-0 draw in 01/02
Then it was India 08-11 (who beat us home and away), England 2011-2012 (whom we didn't play), and SA 2012-2015 (who thumped us on a couple of different occasions).

Were Pakistan still number one when we beat them in late 2016, or had they already dropped to 2?

 

[Gnske]

Agreed.

Give him a coke or something.

 

[Burgey]

your fave player rahane

Well if they're relying on him as part of a tripod of excellence then they're losing this series handily.

 

[Burgey]

Ajaz is a devout Muslim, isn't he? Hope that's considered amongst the drinking and shenanigans.

Or he can just, you know, stick to soda water like a lot of blokes do when they go out and celebrate a win.

 

[Bahnz]

Oh yeah and finally i should publicly cop my taste and admit southee is still good in nz.

I actually think you can say he's still good in general. In the past 4 years Southee averages 26 in Australia, 24 in the UAE and 18 in SRL. His only genuinely poor overseas performance in that time was v SA in 2016.

I don't think Southee's current 127 average pace incarnation is getting the best out of him either, but by in large it seems to work fairly consistently.