***Official*** India in South Africa 2021-22

[centurymaker]

Looks like the pitch for the 3rd Test is on the flatter side. Match is expected to go the distance (5th day). And there may not be much uneven bounce. (True wicket) In light of that, I would have wanted to see Umesh and not Pishant.

Draw will not be unexpected. And since betting companies are offering so much on it (4.50), it's worth a small punt with potential for huge return or you can cash out when odds become shorter at some point.

 

[Apex Predator]

I remember the decider in 2011 in Newlands. India probably would have won here & series if Kallis didn't get dropped on day 4. We ended up drawing the test. That was one helluva series.
Hopefully we get another classic game.

 

[centurymaker]

Might see Pishant trundle in on day 1 and look totally innocuous on a relatively flatter surface with also less bounce. Idk but Umesh could have been so much better tbh

 

[Apex Predator]

Might see Pishant trundle in on day 1 and look totally innocuous on a relatively flatter surface with also less bounce. Idk but Umesh could have been so much better tbh

Ishant does bowl well against left handers.. May be a tactical call to take out Elgar. I am not sure what to expect with Ishant these days. He sure as hell is back to Trundling but Olivier with his 125 kph balls was looking handful in Joburg so let's see.

 

[centurymaker]

omfg pishant averages 40 in South Africa in 7 matches. Not once has he picked more than 5 wickets in a entire Test match.

Experience means nothing if it happens to be 'bad experience'

 

[centurymaker]

Ishant does bowl well against left handers.. May be a tactical call to take out Elgar. I am not sure what to expect with Ishant these days. He sure as hell is back to Trundling but Olivier with his 125 kph balls was looking handful in Joburg so let's see.

Hmm ? that might be his only saving grace.

There was quite a bit of noise about the lack of height of Indian bowlers which has resulted in them 'extracting less' from the bowling friendly surfaces in last 2 games.

So it seems like a complete reactionary move to pick this tall trundler NOW and that too on the easiest surface, the least bounciest as well as the slowest surface of the three.

Very disappointed with his likely selection. And since India will be bowling today in all probability, only thing we can then hope is that he can at least not leak runs. Keep it under 3rpo. Would he even achieve that given his form?

 

[Arachnodouche]

Ishant's action and release, never the smoothest, have looked especially ragged the last few times he's played. I'd still play him over Umesh because his length and height are something the Saffers haven't seen yet in the series. Just hope the right Ishant shows up.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Ishant if he's at his best is the correct choice over Umesh. He's looked not just not great but terrible recently, like pre 2015 Ishant. Action and wrist position all over the place. Hope that was just an anomaly or this could backfire massively.

 

[centurymaker]

Yeah could indeed backfire massively

 

[karan_fromthestands]

I am not sure what to expect from Ishant after his last couple of tests where he looked totally out of place. Hopefully we'll see a better version of him.

 

[OverratedSanity]

FFS

 

[Bolo.]

Wow, calm down

It's one of India's best seam attacks, maybe the best but it lacks the variety that Khan, Kumble and Singh had at one stage. Neither Ashwin nor Jadeja are even top class away spinners let alone great, Jadeja in particular is very poor outside of Asia.

However, there have been far better overall bowling attacks, WI in the late 70s and most of the 80s, Pakistan throughout the 80s and part of the 90s, Aus in the mid to late 90s and early 00s, SA in the late 00s to mid 2010s.

I think any objective cricket fan can see this. However, they all work very well as a team, hence two triumphs Down Under but I can't imagine similar successes against the better Aus sides of the past, nor against the better Saffer sides either...heck, the bowling attack was not that different in 2018 when India lost 2-1...with the series dead by the end of the second test. It just so happens BUmrah, Shami, Ashwin, Sharma (he may get a chance to play again) all went up against superior batters, as opposed to the rubbish SA put out these days.

So viewed in context, this is not a great bowling attack by historic international standards, but certainly upper echelon by India standards. That's not a bad thing, as the highest level of bowling attacks were extremely good.

Nearly half of the test countries are in Asia.

India has a better attack than we have seen since Marshall retired.

 

[cnerd123]

SA have lost the last 15 of their 16 tosses apparently. Including today!

Batting first the right move IMO. Umesh in for Siraj. Hope we score 350.

 

[Heboric]

Kohli is a highly ranked tosser

Sigh didnt go with Unlucky I see

 

[Apex Predator]

India has now won 7 back to back tosses vs SA I guess. Kohli has won 6 of em.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Tough decision. I think I agree with Umesh over ishant but ishant's MO is so much more suited to the conditions. Maybe the right call considering his form. I hope Umesh bowls some of the scrambled seam stuff he bowls at times in home conditions, it's the aspect that will be missing from the attack with Siraj gone.

 

[Gnske]

Good to see Ishant enjoy a good REST during this tour

 

[Bahseph]

With Maharaj set to play a bigger role with the ball in this match I don't understand why SA still has Jansen at 7. Mulder for Olivier seems so obvious to me.

 

[OverratedSanity]

The leg side strangle seems to be a conscious strategy from SA at this point.

 

[Gnske]

The leg side strangle seems to be a conscious strategy from SA at this point.

Why do bowlers bowl at off stump when its almost always never worth it