2nd Test at the MCG, Melbourne, 26 Dec - 30 Dec 2020

[stephen]

yeah in australia, attacking batting vs finger spin basically results in the finger spinner returning figures of 2/100.

Amongst bowlers who have bowled after WWI in Australia, the most wickets taken by a finger spinner here at an average of less than 30 is 57 by Ian Johnson in the 40s and 50s.

Amongst touring bowlers, Geoff Miller holds the record with 36 wickets at 22 between 1978 and 1983. Tayfield was next with 30 wickets at 28 in the early 50s.

Finger spinners succeeding in Australia is extremely rare and generally hasn't happened much at all in the last 70 years.

 

[Spark]

lmao of all the places to attack spinners in aus, scg has got to be the worst pitch to attempt it

wouldn't be surprised to see us win

scg has been a roady road for most of the last decade tbh

 

[Shri]

scg has been a roady road for most of the last decade tbh

didn't kuldeep get a fifer at the scg in the last series?

 

[Pratters]

It's always such a chicken and egg thing. Is it good bowling or bad batting?

As often the case in cricket, both are usually true simultaneously, and one can often cause the other. Same with good batting and bad bowling.

Was it good pav or was it good bhaji

 

[Spark]

didn't kuldeep get a fifer at the scg in the last series?

kuldeep is not a finger spinner!

 

[Anil]

regardless of where the series goes from here, that was a really impressive comeback from india on the road (without their best batsman and against the best attack of our time) from 36 all out...well done!

 

[Niall]

Playing three spinners does seem a little much tbf.

Rahul for Agarwal is the only change I'd make if Umesh somehow is fit. Vihari looks somewhat solid in the middle order.

 

[cnerd123]

Nathan Lyon has 195 wickets @ 32.02 with 8 5WI, 2 10WM and an economy of under 3 bowling fingerspin in Australia.

It's been horrible for visiting offspinners over the years, but mainly because they struggle to adapt to the conditions. There has always been bounce on offer on Australian pitches, even when it's not spinning sideways, and finger spinners can exploit that if they know how to - like Lyon has.

The pitches this series have aided spin a bit more than Aussie pitches usually do too. I don't think just going #intent at the spinners would have been effective. Might work depending on conditions next Test, but the spinners have been very disciplined.

 

[_00_deathscar]

It would probably be better to know which (good) finger spinners have come to Australia with a good pace attack to back them to be able to do some damage.

So prior to this India lineup, you'd be looking at someone from South Africa or Pakistan - and one of those hasn't really produced great finger spinners anyway.

England maybe for one of their Ashes series they seem to turn up for and had a good/great attack but again, some okay/servicable spinners but probably no one to the quality of Jadeja, much less an Ashwin.

 

[honestbharani]

he bowls it so nicely, why does he bother with the legbreak variation at all.

But true to the brain memes, he does not actually bowl the leg break that often. He bowls the googly, aka, the ACTUAL double bluff. Unlike the regular bluffs the comms just say are double bluffs.

 

[Arachnodouche]

I'm just happy to see some crow biryani being dished out. Making outrageous predictions at the outset of a series might be the Australian way but holy **** the hubris on display here was something else. We're 3-2 (should've been 4-2) over the last six Tests on Aus soil. Eat that

 

[honestbharani]

One thing we should not forget to do, given the brickbats (deserved ones, mostly, tbf) we give to Shastri and the rest of the team management. The bowling plans in both tests have been amazingly well thought out and they must have done something right behind the scenes if they got a team like India with the kind of media and fans we have, to come back at their best straight after the most embarassing batting performance of most fans' lifetime. Kudos to Ravi Shastri and Co. Hopefully we go on to win the series and this becomes a complete achievement for them.

 

[Daemon]

I'm just happy to see some crow biryani being dished out. Making outrageous predictions at the outset of a series might be the Australian way but holy **** the hubris on display here was something else. We're 3-2 (should've been 4-2) over the last six Tests on Aus soil. Eat that

Tbf most of the Indian fans here predicted heavy defeats as well.

 

[Shady Slim]

i feel the last touring spinner to do properly well here was keshav maharaj, who kept it tight and was able to pick up key wickets in compliment of his pacers on pitches that were flat in the case of perth and seamy in the case of the other two. aside from that, most spinners have been towelled, but it's also important to remember some of the spinners that have toured here have been dogshit, regardless of the fact that this is australia. mark craig is not good. scott borthwick is not good. etc.

two spinners at the scg has been dead since i was in high school though, india can only get away with it because jadeja is a quality AR. dropping pacers for a spinner at the scg is a no go joe.

 

[gabbadan]

I feel safer with Warner in for Burns and Henriques in for Head and Wade remaining as opener.
The prospect of Harris opening frightens me.

 

[Gob]

Travis head is going nowhere. He is the future

 

[GoodAreasShane]

I feel safer with Warner in for Burns and Henriques in for Head and Wade remaining as opener.
The prospect of Harris opening frightens me.

If Head is going to be dropped (and ftr I think he will be) then Moises is the option I hate the least, and by a considerable margin too. He's been a pretty reliable performer of recent times

 

[Gob]

If Head is going to be dropped (and ftr I think he will be) then Moises is the option I hate the least, and by a considerable margin too. He's been a pretty reliable performer of recent times

Mad dog

He'll rip Ravi apart

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Mad dog

Isn't in the extended squad iirc

 

[aussie tragic]

Well done Burns, Cummins, Hazlewood and Lyon. Only Aussies not to drop a catch

(bit harsh on Wade)