***Official*** India vs England 2021 General Discussion thread

[CricAddict]

Ishant, Bumrah, Jadeja and Ashwin are a must.

Toss up between going for Pandya or the 3rd specialist seamer who's a numpty with the bat. They'll never pick Bhuvi so can stop dreaming about it.

Yeah. Those 4 should play as first choice. The fifth person can be anyone between Hardik/Bhuvi/Shami/Siraj/Umesh/Thakur, preferably someone who bats.

 

[CricAddict]

Rohit, Gill, Pujara, Kohli, Rahane, Pant, Jadeja, Ashwin, Ishant, Siraj, Bumrah

Most likely I'd reckon

Yes, the other 10 spots are fixed unless injuries. Like Daemon pointed out, only the third pacer spot is open.

 

[Pup Clarke]

Yep, different standards.

This was from about a month ago

"Among these tests was the now famous yo-yo test and the new ‘2km run’ fitness test. In this test, a batsman, wicketkeeper or a spinner has to complete the two-kilometer distance in eight minutes and 30 seconds, while for a fast bowler, the benchmark is eight minutes and 15 seconds. Six of the players failed to clear these tests. Some players barely managed to complete the run."

2km in 8:30 should really be a walk in the park for a professional athlete. The fact that some barely managed to complete the run is ****ing embarrassing.

That is pretty embarassing! You only have to be a moderately good amateur runner to find completing 2k in sub 8.30 a breeze

 

[honestbharani]

Ishant, Bumrah, Jadeja and Ashwin are a must.

Toss up between going for Pandya or the 3rd specialist seamer who's a numpty with the bat. They'll never pick Bhuvi so can stop dreaming about it.

Lol, a 6-9 of Pant, Pandya, Jaddu and Ash..

 

[theegyptian]

Not sure anyone from England massively enhanced their reputations across the tour. Guess the mains positives were...

Anderson continued to excel, and Stone looked good in his one game in the test series.
Bairstow looks to be one of the premier white ball batsman in the world.
Wood and Archer both impressive with the white ball. Should be a real threat in future 20 and 50 over WCS in India based on this series.


Main disappointments -

Bess fell away massively having seemed to have improved over the previous 12 months.
None of the young test batsman looked particularly comfortably albeit in very tough conditions. Especially concerning was Pope.
Tom Curran and Jordan plenty of experience but continue to be very expensive in white ball cricket and outbowled by similar type bowlers in opposition.

 

[honestbharani]

England seems to have insane depth but surely, Sam Curran starts for most of your games across formats, esp. white ball?

I just don't see how you can neglect that level of talent and temperament.

 

[Spark]

So, in hindsight, having the crowds at three of these games was pretty unwise, no? If only for the message it sent.

 

[honestbharani]

So, in hindsight, having the crowds at three of these games was pretty unwise, no? If only for the message it sent.

I dont think it was wrong to open up to the crowds in a huge outdoor stadium at 1/2 capacity or whatever it was. The bigger issue was the way the seating arrangements were made. They should have been lot stricter in enforcing certain distancing rules.

I dont think this was the major cause of the current outbreak in Gujarat when you consider that we have been allowing theatres and markets and malls and restaurants operate at 100% capacity. Shows the Government(s) have not learned enough about the pandemic across India yet, and/or don't care.

 

[sunilz]

I dont think it was wrong to open up to the crowds in a huge outdoor stadium at 1/2 capacity or whatever it was. The bigger issue was the way the seating arrangements were made. They should have been lot stricter in enforcing certain distancing rules.

I dont think this was the major cause of the current outbreak in Gujarat when you consider that we have been allowing theatres and markets and malls and restaurants operate at 100% capacity. Shows the Government(s) have not learned enough about the pandemic across India yet, and/or don't care.

People's livelihoods are more important.
We are not developed Country. Lock down is not the solution.

 

[Spark]

To be clear I'm not suggesting that the crowds themselves were the source of infection, I think the evidence is pretty strongly against outdoor events of that kind being responsible for much spread at all. But these were very high-profile public events where the clear takeaway message from the authorities would have been, whether intentional or not, "things are getting back to normal now", which seems grossly premature at a minimum.

 

[honestbharani]

To be clear I'm not suggesting that the crowds themselves were the source of infection, I think the evidence is pretty strongly against outdoor events of that kind being responsible for much spread at all. But these were very high-profile public events where the clear takeaway message from the authorities would have been, whether intentional or not, "things are getting back to normal now", which seems grossly premature at a minimum.

True but that message was pretty much already out there when they made theatres etc open at 100% capacity. I think there is a compromise between full lockdowns and opening up fully as far as handling this pandemic is concerned. Unfortunately, none of the Governments in India (both central and state) seem to be concerned with trying to find it, and are instead literally blackmailing people.

The Maharashtra CM saying he will wait and watch numbers for 2 days and if it does not improve, he will order lockdown was just hilariously incompetent, bad, foolish, idiotic and an embarrassment all at the same time. Its like parents telling you will be grounded if you don't improve your marks in an exam. The idiot could not even figure out that no one had any control over those numbers at that point.

 

[cnerd123]

That is pretty embarassing! You only have to be a moderately good amateur runner to find completing 2k in sub 8.30 a breeze

but they're not amateur runners, they're cricketers

I also guarantee you that anyone who would classify themselves as a 'moderately good amateur runner' would not gravitate to becoming a T20 specialist spinner (IE, the lest physically demanding job in the sport)

True but that message was pretty much already out there when they made theatres etc open at 100% capacity.

two wrongs don't make a right

 

[honestbharani]

two wrongs don't make a right

I am not saying it does. I was just saying the horse had already bolted when it comes to the second wave.

 

[Pup Clarke]

but they're not amateur runners, they're cricketers

But that's my point. They should be much better than moderately good amateur runners. They're getting paid very very good money and staying in excellent aerobic condition should be a prerequisite for a professional athlete

 

[Spark]

would not gravitate to becoming a T20 specialist spinner (IE, the lest physically demanding job in the sport)

You're kidding, right? There's absolutely no way you could get by in T20 cricket in any role at all without having a pretty high level of athleticism in general, you stand out like a sore thumb and will be targeted if you're not athletic in the field. How many Inzamam types do you see making big money on the T20 circuit? You don't get to stand at first slip all day, you have to be quick off the mark and sharp on your feet. A baseline level of aerobic fitness is a completely reasonable thing to expect for the money being offered.

 

[cnerd123]

big difference between being good in the field and passing an arbitrary fitness benchmark

it's fine if teams want to set some sort of standard across the board, but let's not pretend that you can't be a good cricketer if you don't meet those.

 

[Pup Clarke]

But it's not arbitrary at all. T20s often come down to very fine margains, so the ability to turn 1s into 2s when batting/chase and retrieve a ball/make repeated sprints etc when fielding are absolutely crucial in this format. They can directly impact the match as a whole

 

[Manee]

But it's not arbitrary at all. T20s often come down to very fine margains, so the ability to turn 1s into 2s when batting/chase and retrieve a ball/make repeated sprints etc when fielding are absolutely crucial in this format. They can directly impact the match as a whole

The question is why replace the beep test which is a series of repeated sprints.

 

[Pup Clarke]

No idea tbh. But I think why a 2k time trial is now the standard fitness test is that it is a good gauge of both a person's aerobic capacity and speed

It's also a good barometer for replicating the intensity of a T20 game imo. My guess would be that most players cover over 2k in a game just on fielding alone. So it wouldn't be too dissimilar from the demands of a full game

 

[Daemon]

big difference between being good in the field and passing an arbitrary fitness benchmark

it's fine if teams want to set some sort of standard across the board, but let's not pretend that you can't be a good cricketer if you don't meet those.

Of course you can. But the point of these standards is to force good cricketers to get better.

The real question is how Ashwin passed the beep test. That run out in Australia was hilarious.