*Official* 2nd Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, 13 - 17 Feb 2021

[honestbharani]

Pretty sure England lost every toss in India in 2012.

You also won 4 of the 5 tosses in 2016.

 

[centurymaker]

If you're trying to pretend that first two sessions this pitch wasn't dramatically better you're absolutely delusional.

You are delusional because you are clearly not watching the game and basing it off the scorecard. india could have easily been bowled out for 150-180 on day 1.

Rohit and Rahane were beaten/mis-played so many times yesterday including session 2--more than Foakes and Pope were today session 2.

Once the balls gets old - like 30 overs today, good batsmen of spin could play with a bit of ease as Foakes showed. If he hadn't run out of partners he could have even scored a hundred.

Pitch hasn't got significantly worse today. The top layer of pitch has been loose since the 1st morning.

Once ball gets old though it becomes easier to bat and stay on. Thats why tomorrow when India do well don't tell me that pitch has got better. It would be because ball will have become softer. It is 18 overs old now. If India don't lose too many wickets in next 15-20 overs tomorrow morning, India could last till late in the day playing against softer ball.

 

[Robbie]

For me the toss would probably have been important if India had scored high in the first innings. I stick with my appraisal that England actually restricted them to a below par total. That should have largely or significantly taken the toss out of the game, but instead of capitalising, England folded. Don't envy the players knowing they've lost already with 3 days left to go anyway.

 

[Gnske]

Wait what??? Do we need to go on a revolution again and do I finally have a real reason to update my avatar?

For god sake as long as it's centred, yes.

Rise up brothers.

 

[social]

Who were you having dinner with tonight?

Virat

If he scores runs tomorrow then you can thank me

 

[Adders]

Virat

If he scores runs tomorrow then you can thank me

That would be cool.......except you must be in Chennai so my commiserations

 

[social]

HOw is the toss anymore vital in India than anywhere else? Like seriously?

Pitches generally deteriorate in India

Many pitches around the world don’t and some actually improve

 

[OverratedSanity]

Pitches generally deteriorate in India

Many pitches around the world don’t and some actually improve

So wouldn't that favour the team bowling first?

 

[social]

So wouldn't that favour the team bowling first?

Scoreboard pressure evens things out

Generally best to bat first majority of time

 

[sunilz]

Toss is certainly important in IND for visiting team. There is no doubt about that.

However let's not pretend that toss is not that important in ENG, AUS or any other place.
Just because AUS bowlers don't know how in bowl in 4th innings doesn't mean toss isn't important in AUS.
I mean I have forgotten number of times Anderson has destroyed opposition batsmen in near rainy weather in Eng only to find sunny weather when Eng is batting.

And cry me a river. Kohli had lost last 9 of the 10 toss vs Eng. What did Eng expect ? Always best of the batting conditions

 

[Pothas]

For me the toss would probably have been important if India had scored high in the first innings. I stick with my appraisal that England actually restricted them to a below par total. That should have largely or significantly taken the toss out of the game, but instead of capitalising, England folded. Don't envy the players knowing they've lost already with 3 days left to go anyway.

I reckon India got comfortably above par but not by a huge amount. Obvious point but Root getting out was the key moment, England could easily have ended up with score like this in Sri Lanka if Root had not done his thing.

 

[centurymaker]

Where was the dramatic skill difference in the first test then? India obviously have miles better spinners but this victim mentality some Indian posters have to how vital the toss is in India is strange

England batted on a Road while India didn't.


Then here is an extract from cricinfo-

While England played excellent cricket from the moment they won the toss, they needed some good fortune to go their way too. One hundred and sixty-six Tests have been played since the start of 2017. There have been results in 146 of those. Only five times has a team made fewer errors with the bat than India's 102 in Chennai to lose a Test. To lose 19 wickets to just 102 uncontrolled responses is terrible luck - Cheteshwar Pujara got out in the first innings despite being in full control of the shot - especially when England's first innings alone took 136 not-in-control responses to end.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/ind-vs-eng-2nd-test-india-in-need-of-some-more-control-from-bowlers-and-some-more-luck-for-batsmen-1251109%3fplatform=amp

1st Test had Pujara not been so unlucky on day 3 when pitch was still not too bad, India would have posted 400-450+ and that would have been enough to seal a draw. (Rahane caught off full toss as well). 3rd and 4th innings both teams folded for sub 200.


Here both teams are batting on the same explosive pitch right now and India is playing England out of the park. When it is spinning, India is well ahead of England. Why are you choosing to make a fool of yourself trying to defend this point that India are not more skillful in these conditions. India were quite unfortunate in the first test- played significantly fewer shots in error over 2 innings than England played in their first innings alone when they were playing on a Road!

 

[Magrat Garlick]

That would be cool.......except you must be in Chennai so my commiserations

yeah can we cool it with this now please

 

[honestbharani]

Pitches generally deteriorate in India

Many pitches around the world don’t and some actually improve

at the word "deteriorate", also winning a toss being an advantage is in the context of winning the match, not just how the pitch plays.

And defining a certain condition of the pitch as "good" as if it is an absolutism is also indicative of the fact that you cannot comprehend cricket being played in different places in the world.

 

[honestbharani]

I stick with my appraisal that England actually restricted them to a below par total.

Definitely felt 350 was par there. And think with better application and not so much good bowling from India, England could have made 300 here.

 

[Senile Sentry]

A bit late, but what a series so far !

England was just too good in first test. Anderson is such a ****ing legend. I.think England misses a trick by not playing him in 2nd test. I think he was the difference between India getting bowled out for 200-220 and the 330 odd they.got eventually.

Also what is the point of Stuart Broad ? I think Stokes could have taken the new ball and probably fortified their batting or probably play Dom Bess and push Ali up the order.

I think India have let go their Aussie conditioning and finally embraced Indian conditions.

 

[OverratedSanity]

A bit late, but what a series so far !

England was just too good in first test. Anderson is such a ****ing legend. I.think England misses a trick by not playing him in 2nd test. I think he was the difference between India getting bowled out for 200-220 and the 330 odd they.got eventually.

Also what is the point of Stuart Broad ? I think Stokes could have taken the new ball and probably fortified their batting or probably play Dom Bess and push Ali up the order.

I think India have let go their Aussie conditioning and finally embraced Indian conditions.

Hoo boy Burgey couldn't have timed his ban worse.

 

[honestbharani]

People are too quick to write off Broad. I dont think he is that far away from Anderson as a bowler, really. And this pitch is reversing a lot, just like the first test. So think they can be in the game more tomorrow.

 

[social]

I reckon India got comfortably above par but not by a huge amount. Obvious point but Root getting out was the key moment, England could easily have ended up with score like this in Sri Lanka if Root had not done his thing.

India got massively above par

Rohit’s innings was amazing

Par was 175-200 and he got 160

Have a look at the balls which got Kohli and Stokes

They turned square

 

[Senile Sentry]

Also this talk of India being beneficiaries of winning toss have been disproven by how Indian batsmen have batted in the 2nd innings. It is a classical Indian wicket and requires skill sets to survive. Indian batsmen have been guilty till now of not making the adjustments after spending so much time abroad and having not playing anything in India for almost 1.5 years. I think finally they have made those.