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

[Dendarii]

On a separate note, is this the first time in decades that South Africa don't have a regular all-rounder in their test team, since Philander retired?

They're trying to shoehorn Jansen into the all-rounder role. His first-class average is 23, which isn't much less than Philander's 26, but it's way too early in his career to know whether he can be regarded as an all-rounder or just a bowler who's handy with the bat.

 

[Gnske]

A bowler who can bat a bit for sure. Would be a weapon as a filthy Mitch Starc slogger

 

[cnerd123]

5 bowlers is essential. Test schedules these days don't allow for bowlers to recover enough between games. You got to share the 80-90 overs in a day between 5 bowlers, otherwise you're going to have a whole new attack by the third test of a series.

What's key is for our batsmen to actually score runs. Agree that it's vital we get runs out of Pant/Ashwin/Thakur too.

In this specific test - SA just bowled really really well on a surface that had a little bit in it for them. These things happen. Our batters just aren't good enough to negotiate that consistently.

Long term the only solution is to improve our pathways to the senior squad. More A Team tours, perhaps a level of domestic cricket above Ranji that's played on pitches that better replicate conditions overseas. Would also help if the selectors had the balls to drop senior players now and then so that our upcoming bats can get some experience at Test level.

 

[artvandalay]

I am honestly starting to think Indian bowling is significantly overrated.

Bumrah hasn't been the same since his injury and he is the multiplier effect for our attack. We have definitely improved but like our batting we are not picking the bowlers we should when we should. Guys like Prasidh, Avesh and Saini should have been around or gotten a game this tour - especially after the A tour - but like Siraj they will play 2 years too late because other ageing bowlers weren't phased out.

 

[CricAddict]

5 bowlers is essential. Test schedules these days don't allow for bowlers to recover enough between games. You got to share the 80-90 overs in a day between 5 bowlers, otherwise you're going to have a whole new attack by the third test of a series.

What's key is for our batsmen to actually score runs. Agree that it's vital we get runs out of Pant/Ashwin/Thakur too.

In this specific test - SA just bowled really really well on a surface that had a little bit in it for them. These things happen. Our batters just aren't good enough to negotiate that consistently.

Long term the only solution is to improve our pathways to the senior squad. More A Team tours, perhaps a level of domestic cricket above Ranji that's played on pitches that better replicate conditions overseas. Would also help if the selectors had the balls to drop senior players now and then so that our upcoming bats can get some experience at Test level.

The Ashes has been quite back to back and both England and Australia have gone in with 4 bowlers and a batting all-rounder in Stokes and Green. If it is 5 bowlers, we should at a bare minimum go with a batting all-rounder instead of a bowling all-rounder like Thakur. Otherwise, it is just adding a bit more pressure to the top and middle order batsmen, especially when Pant is out of form as well.

India has a good crop of pace bowlers and I am not sure why 3 out of Bumrah, Shami, Ishant, Umesh, Siraj and Thakur cannot go at full throttle in each test with a good rotation plan built in. At least in this test series, a 7th batsman would have definitely helped India.

If Jadeja was playing, the current strategy would have helped since he is more of a batsman than bowler now. But there is no other batting all-rounder in the squad or vicinity currently. So, we should have gone with Vihari instead of any of the bowlers especially since he can bowl a bit too for the `rest` required by the pacers.

And I am saying that this should at least be a stop-gap option till we have 4 out of top 6 in imperious form and then we can probably think of going in with 5 bowlers. Right now, the batting is shambles and hence, needs the fail-safe more than the bowling.

 

[CricAddict]

Bumrah hasn't been the same since his injury and he is the multiplier effect for our attack. We have definitely improved but like our batting we are not picking the bowlers we should when we should. Guys like Prasidh, Avesh and Saini should have been around or gotten a game this tour - especially after the A tour - but like Siraj they will play 2 years too late because other ageing bowlers weren't phased out.

Saini played in the Aussie series and proved that he is not as good as people thought him to be.

 

[CricAddict]

The Ashes has been quite back to back and both England and Australia have gone in with 4 bowlers and a batting all-rounder in Stokes and Green. If it is 5 bowlers, we should at a bare minimum go with a batting all-rounder instead of a bowling all-rounder like Thakur. Otherwise, it is just adding a bit more pressure to the top and middle order batsmen, especially when Pant is out of form as well.

India has a good crop of pace bowlers and I am not sure why 3 out of Bumrah, Shami, Ishant, Umesh, Siraj and Thakur cannot go at full throttle in each test with a good rotation plan built in. At least in this test series, a 7th batsman would have definitely helped India.

If Jadeja was playing, the current strategy would have helped since he is more of a batsman than bowler now. But there is no other batting all-rounder in the squad or vicinity currently. So, we should have gone with Vihari instead of any of the bowlers especially since he can bowl a bit too for the `rest` required by the pacers.

And I am saying that this should at least be a stop-gap option till we have 4 out of top 6 in imperious form and then we can probably think of going in with 5 bowlers. Right now, the batting is shambles and hence, needs the fail-safe more than the bowling.

Ok

 

[cnerd123]

Problem is Ashwin and Thakur are the only 'allrounders' of note that we have. We don't have a Green or a Stokes on the sidelines and Jaddu is injured.

Having 3 quicks bowl 20+ overs a day would not end well for us. They'll be a lot less effective than they are now, and we'll have to fill in a lot of overs from Ashwin in conditions that don't suit him.

We tried 4 bowlers repeatedly on overseas tours for years and kept getting thumped. All our best results have come with 5 bowlers. Our quicks have started bowling better when we started selecting 4 of them. This is a system that works, we just don't have the batting to back it up.

 

[artvandalay]

Saini played in the Aussie series and proved that he is not as good as people thought him to be.

He got picked for the team when he had returned from injury. Saini was at his peak around or before that Nzl tour.
At any rate i was referring to how he bowled in the A tour before this series.

 

[artvandalay]

Problem is Ashwin and Thakur are the only 'allrounders' of note that we have. We don't have a Green or a Stokes on the sidelines and Jaddu is injured.

Having 3 quicks bowl 20+ overs a day would not end well for us. They'll be a lot less effective than they are now, and we'll have to fill in a lot of overs from Ashwin in conditions that don't suit him.

We tried 4 bowlers repeatedly on overseas tours for years and kept getting thumped. All our best results have come with 5 bowlers. Our quicks have started bowling better when we started selecting 4 of them. This is a system that works, we just don't have the batting to back it up.

Having that extra bowler allows them to keep bowling full tilt and attack all the time, in addition to providing cushion in case of injury. The extra long rope Pandya was getting was for this reason.

 

[Daemon]

Bumrah hasn't been the same since his injury and he is the multiplier effect for our attack. We have definitely improved but like our batting we are not picking the bowlers we should when we should. Guys like Prasidh, Avesh and Saini should have been around or gotten a game this tour - especially after the A tour - but like Siraj they will play 2 years too late because other ageing bowlers weren't phased out.

Did you watch Avesh Khan when he rocked up for the opposition in our tour game in England?

 

[Shri]

Problem is Ashwin and Thakur are the only 'allrounders' of note that we have. We don't have a Green or a Stokes on the sidelines and Jaddu is injured.

venkatesh iyer

 

[Arachnodouche]

Hate how every desi broadcaster has started calling Gavaskar "Sunny G". Has a weird brown-nosey ring to it.

 

[Daemon]

venkatesh iyer

He’s not a test cricketer, maybe someday he’ll get there

 

[Shri]

He’s not a test cricketer, maybe someday he’ll get there

tall and plays short balls well

and looks clutch

can replace rahane and do a vihari role with the ball

 

[Daemon]

tall and plays short balls well

and looks clutch

can replace rahane and do a vihari role with the ball

You’ve literally seen half a season of him in IPL. Calm your **** and let him play some proper cricket first.

 

[Xix2565]

Venky Iyer's barely done anything in 10 FC games, he'd literally be worse than Rahane.

 

[srbhkshk]

You’ve literally seen half a season of him in IPL. Calm your **** and let him play some proper cricket first.

Shri just wants the Indian team to be taller on average. It's a noble goal and should be supported.

 

[Xix2565]

I mean I'd like if the height comes with proven skill and temperament rather than wishful thinking of CW denizens.

 

[CricAddict]

There is Vijay Shankar too, who debuted in the wrong format and got binned. He is the best batting all-rounder that we have in India, since Rishi Dhawan is more of a bowling allrounder as well.