***Official*** India's Tour of Australia 2020/21 - General discussion

[aussie tragic]

Paine now 3rd best bat for Australia since start of last summer with 239 runs @ 47.80 from the 6 home tests. Really highlights form of these four:

Wade - 225 runs @ 37.50
Head - 244 runs @ 34.85
Smith - 255 runs @ 31.87
Burns - 264 runs @ 29.33

Very consistent but also very English 80-90s mediocrity!

With Warner missing and Labuschagne playing a wierd innings, no wonder Australia was bowled out for 191

 

[cnerd123]

What's the bigger crisis in India right now - the coronavirus, or 36 all out?

 

[trundler]

Very consistent but also very English 80-90s mediocrity!

The English exemplifying mediocrity should catch on

 

[trundler]

What's the bigger crisis in India right now - the coronavirus, or 36 all out?

Your face and username

 

[TheJediBrah]

Hope we enjoyed India's last ever day/night Test btw

 

[honestbharani]

Only if we collapsed in the night. We may have tests finishing play everyday before 2 PM though ?

 

[cnerd123]

Looking ahead to the next Test.

Losing this test is not only damaging to our batting lineup's psyche. We have also given Joe Burns and Matty Wade some confidence.

Aus will probably drop Head for Warner now. Wade is better equipped to deal with Ashwin, Joe Burns has earned another crack as opener, so out Head goes. This meanse we lose the one 'easy' wicket in their middle order.

And about dropping Shaw - yes drop him please, but do we really believe that Gill will be a significant step? Like Shaw right now is 0 but Gill might only be a 3.

If Shami is injured and we have to play Siraj, I'd be tempted to be unorthodox and select Jadeja to open. He's got the balls and will come out fighting, tell him to be Jayasuriya-light and go after the Aussies. If he fails, he still adds massive value in the field as bowling cover for Siraj/Aswhin. And plus you need a character like him on the field after such a devastating loss, especially with Virat gone and Rahane captaining. Who even is gonna be the vice captain? Ashwin????

I'd retain Saha just because I think his runout of Wade was really nice, and I don't believe Pant in current form is the answer. And with Virat gone we need experience on the field.

 

[Pratters]

Don't you support Bangladesh? Then how are you referring to India as we.. confusing.

 

[Pup Clarke]

Head won't be dropped yet. Pretty sure Warner will come in for Green and Wade will move down to either 5/6.

 

[Spark]

They're not dropping Green going into an MCG Test. Having five bowling options is almost a must on that deck.

 

[Pup Clarke]

Really? I mean the quicks hardly had a workout 2nd dig, and Marnus can send down servicable leggies as a 5th bowler option.

 

[cnerd123]

Really? I mean the quicks hardly had a workout 2nd dig, and Marnus can send down servicable leggies as a 5th bowler option.

would you consider Marnus as good a test bowler as Michael Bevan?

 

[Pup Clarke]

Haven't seen alot of Bevan (not really my era) but think Marnus is pretty handy with the ball. Maybe Michael Clarke would be a better comparison? I don't think Marnus has his control but think he's an adequate 5th bowler

 

[Spark]

Haven't seen alot of Bevan (not really my era) but think Marnus is pretty handy with the ball. Maybe Michael Clarke would be a better comparison? I don't think Marnus has his control but think he's an adequate 5th bowler

Nah, nowhere near the requisite level IMO. Useful part-timer and that's it. Seam-up is infinitely more useful too.

In general I feel that the gap between "good part-time bowler" and "actual 5th bowler" is much bigger than people realise.

 

[Spark]

Also, Green averages 22 in Shield cricket with the ball, and honestly from what I've seen is good value for that too. We aren't talking handy medium-pace dibbly dobbly seamers here. I have serious concerns about his action from an injury-prone POV but his actual bowling looks like it has real potential.

 

[Pup Clarke]

In general I feel that the gap between "good part-time bowler" and "actual 5th bowler" is much bigger than people realise.

Do you think there's a big discrepancy between the two? Just curious. Apart from a handful of players in the modern era who could fulfil the role of a 5th bowler very well (Kallis, Stokes and maybe Flintoff would qualify). I just feel that a good part-time bowler not far from an actual 5th bowler in itself

For example, Joe Root imo is a pretty useful and underratedl spinner. Would he be a consistent 5th bowling option if he was asked to take this role on for lets say a few years? Probably not. But he's handy on occasions. If say England's fast bowling attack was Anderson, Broad, Woakes and Archer - then Root would probably only be used to hold down an end and give the fast bowlers some rest. In essence, he'd be an actual 5th bowler and would be fulfilling his role. It's obviously based on some many intangibles.

 

[cnerd123]

Yea Green is worth persisting with if you're sure he will bowl enough overs to justify the potential reduced returns with the bat.

I reckon he's more likely to score runs than Travis Head anyways, so I'd pick him even if he didn't bowl.

 

[trundler]

The 5th bowler discussion here is so polarising. I definitely see the value of a good fifth bowler. You don't need to shoehorn Kyle Jamieson at 7 and get a speciality but a Stokes or even Watto adds immense value. Yeah, sure he won't be bowling 20 overs a day but keeping the pressure on at all times and having a backup is immense imo.

 

[GotSpin]

right now I struggle to see how Head will succeed at test level with the way he plays those aggressive cover drives

 

[TheJediBrah]

The 5th bowler discussion here is so polarising.

It's also completely irrelevant in this case. Even if Green couldn't bowl he's getting picked before Travis Head at this stage. They are definitely not dropping Green, he's safer than all of Head, Burns and Wade.