3rd Test at the SCG, Sydney, 7 Jan - 11 Jan 2021

[Prince EWS]

flem says the most important thing here with the bouncer debate; that by and large bouncers to tailenders allows the partnership to go on longer and score more runs and eat more time up than if you just hurl the ball at the stumps six times in an over, most of the time

He said that was true of total Martin-standard players. I think he's right but there aren't many of those. I do genuinely think getting up in the grill of players like Shami and Yadav for a few balls an over is likely to get them out quicker and/or for lower scores.

 

[Shady Slim]

He said that was true of total Martin-standard players. I think he's right but there aren't many of those. I do genuinely think getting up in the grill of players like Shami and Yadav for a few balls an over is likely to get them out quicker and/or for lower scores.

i'm inclined to by and large disagree but i'm also not anti-bouncers at the tail, i just don't think it's the best way to get them out necessarily.

people getting in a tizzy about bowling bouncers at the tail as if it's some great offense are bonafide weenies

 

[Senile Sentry]

Yeah

That aberration was the test just played tbh.

Says a bit about India's mindset that they have people in the camp making clandestine leaks regarding quarantine protocols. Tells us they're mentally cooked, pretty much. Which I can get - they got up after Adelaide in the face of injury, unavailability and humiliation following a diabiolical performance. You can't do that with a weakened side over and over. They've had their moment, which is to their credit tbh, given everything that's happened.

Expect this to be comfortably 3-1 to Aus from here, with big margins. India looking for a ticket home asap. They've pretty much cashed in their psychological chips.

As much a bait this post this, I have to agree overall with this (Oh the shame).

Also the leg side strangling theory India has used in last two tests have run its course (especially in regards to surprise factor) and I am sure Aussie batsmen should do adjustments to counter it.

India have lost five or six of their top shelf players so it will be honorable if they compete well in next two matches and lose. They have already earned their respect despite the trying circumstances, not limited to the six month old covid bubble.

I sincerely hope Shitty Sharma and Co. Steals a late night outing and hug a few passerbyes and the Brisbane test gets called off as a result.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah

As much a bait this post this, I have to agree overall with this (Oh the shame).

Also the leg side strangling theory India has used in last two tests have run its course (especially in regards to surprise factor) and I am sure Aussie batsmen should do adjustments to counter it.

India have lost five or six of their top shelf players so it will be honorable if they compete well in next two matches and lose. They have already earned their respect despite the trying circumstances, not limited to the six month old covid bubble.

I sincerely hope ****ty Sharma and Co. Steals a late night outing and hug a few passerbyes and the Brisbane test gets called off as a result.

Senile Sentry with a surprisingly prescient post - broken clock and all that.

The only point I would disagree with is the contention that India has earned respect.

 

[honestbharani]

That aberration was the test just played tbh.

Says a bit about India's mindset that they have people in the camp making clandestine leaks regarding quarantine protocols. Tells us they're mentally cooked, pretty much. Which I can get - they got up after Adelaide in the face of injury, unavailability and humiliation following a diabiolical performance. You can't do that with a weakened side over and over. They've had their moment, which is to their credit tbh, given everything that's happened.

Expect this to be comfortably 3-1 to Aus from here, with big margins. India looking for a ticket home asap. They've pretty much cashed in their psychological chips.

I expect this to be as true as the rest of your predictions on this series so far.

And classic irony of the post itself proving the point wrong.

 

[honestbharani]

i'm inclined to by and large disagree but i'm also not anti-bouncers at the tail, i just don't think it's the best way to get them out necessarily.

people getting in a tizzy about bowling bouncers at the tail as if it's some great offense are bonafide weenies

This shocking lack of nous on the bouncer debate shows why it is such a difficult issue, tbh. Did you feel this way about concussion subs a few years ago too? People's health matters and that is the reason the debate is going on. I agree it is almost impossible to police in any fair manner and hence I feel the focus should move on to the protective equipment and their design, starting out with the helmets like Spark pointed out.

People can get dropped for poor technique but their lives should not be endangered coz they were a fraction of a second late in a sport. Accidents happen in every sport but **** me, if we cant take it seriously enough to have a rational discussion on it....

 

[Shady Slim]

i'm predicting a small aus win in sydney and a big aus win at the gabba. india's put an objectively valiant fight up, ashwin's been the better spinner by far and bumrah is an exceptional bowler. however, india's had a penchant all series for losing their last five wickets for next to no runs and i feel that'll catch them big in the next two tests if australia can dig up any semblance of batting form.

 

[Daemon]

We've reached a point now where an XI of the injured players + rest could beat the actual XI

Sharma
Gill
Pujara
Rahane
Vihari
Pant
Jadeja
Ashwin
Saini/Nattu/Thakur
Bumrah
Siraj

vs

Shaw
Agarwal
Kohli
Rahul
Random middle order bat
Saha
Pandya
Kuldeep
Ishant
Yadav
Shami

 

[ParwazHaiJunoon]

Very interesting piece this, by Monga -

How soon will we need to reconsider how essential bouncers are to cricket?

Taking the nasty short ball out of the game might seem unthinkable, but we might soon be at the point where we're seriously considering it

www.espncricinfo.com

Don't ban the bouncer, fix batting technique instead

The focus needs to shift from the concussion-sub debate to batting technique and protecting tailenders facing short-pitched bowling

www.espncricinfo.com

Proper technique is a must. And there are lessons to be learnt from how batsmen of the pre-helmet era negotiated short balls.

Bouncer-safety starts with watching the ball

Proper technique is a must. And there are lessons to be learnt from how batsmen of the pre-helmet era negotiated short balls

www.espncricinfo.com

 

[honestbharani]

We've reached a point now where an XI of the injured players + rest could beat the actual XI

Sharma
Gill
Pujara
Rahane
Vihari
Pant
Jadeja
Ashwin
Saini/Nattu/Thakur
Bumrah
Siraj

vs

Shaw
Agarwal
Kohli
Rahul
Random middle order bat
Saha
Pandya
Kuldeep
Ishant
Yadav
Shami

*Cries in Karun Nair*

 

[cnerd123]

So Rohit has been confirmed as opener for the next Test

Zzz

 

[Burgey]

So Rohit has been confirmed as opener for the next Test

Zzz

Does this mean Vihari is staying in the middle order? Rate him pretty highly tbh, even though he hasn't done much this series so far apart from nearly top scoring in the second dig in Adelaide.

 

[Shady Slim]

This shocking lack of nous on the bouncer debate shows why it is such a difficult issue, tbh. Did you feel this way about concussion subs a few years ago too? People's health matters and that is the reason the debate is going on. I agree it is almost impossible to police in any fair manner and hence I feel the focus should move on to the protective equipment and their design, starting out with the helmets like Spark pointed out.

People can get dropped for poor technique but their lives should not be endangered coz they were a fraction of a second late in a sport. Accidents happen in every sport but **** me, if we cant take it seriously enough to have a rational discussion on it....

nah i'm all for concussion subs, sports concussions are a serious issue and it's brilliant that the published research has lined up with what the scientific community has expected for years now

but i just can't rationalise suggesting that we sheath a legitimate weapon in the bowler's armory (and one that, at that, is accepted as part of the game), because of the danger that it may pose to a tailender, who has an option, as pointed out by flem, to retire if he feels unsafe. i feel you cannot ban it for some bats and not for others; if it were to be policed, i feel the only legitimate way to do so were by an honour system, whereby bowlers have chosen not to bowl to each other. but from a game theory pov all that enlivens is a bouncer barrage in the fourth innings! totally agree with you that we should always be trying to fortify protections and make the gear better for batsmen, to improve the safety outcomes, but mandating that bowlers don't bowl bouncers to each other? i just can't find a way to justify that

 

[cnerd123]

Does this mean Vihari is staying in the middle order? Rate him pretty highly tbh, even though he hasn't done much this series so far apart from nearly top scoring in the second dig in Adelaide.

Yea seems like its a straight swap with Agarwal. Natranjan probably coming in for Umesh, rest of the XI unchanged

 

[Shady Slim]

So Rohit has been confirmed as opener for the next Test

Zzz

i retract my previous prediction, india's going to get dicked in this test and superdicked in the next lol

 

[Prince EWS]

Does this mean Vihari is staying in the middle order? Rate him pretty highly tbh, even though he hasn't done much this series so far apart from nearly top scoring in the second dig in Adelaide.

Yeah this is definitely the right call from India.

Vihari is a decidedly better bat than Agarwal, and Rohit as opener has far less baggage than Rohit as a middle order bat.

 

[Daemon]

So Rohit has been confirmed as opener for the next Test

Zzz

Please provide a peer reviewed official source

 

[Senile Sentry]

Does this mean Vihari is staying in the middle order? Rate him pretty highly tbh, even though he hasn't done much this series so far apart from nearly top scoring in the second dig in Adelaide.

Yeah and makes sense. He has not looked completely out of sorts and Sydney might be the ground he might really get that chance to get a big score

Rohit cannot expect to walk in and displace Vihary.

 

[cnerd123]

Please provide a peer reviewed official source

no

 

[Shady Slim]

yeah vihari has looked good. i said it before, but him coming in and eating up balls in melbourne really set the table for jadeja and rahane to make hay while the sun shined and the bowlers were really fatigued. would be a great injustice to drop him