*Official* Australia in India 2023

[G. S. Kohli]

KL Rahul should not be playing any international cricket ideally right now. He is in poor form, his confidence is shot and he is self-absorbed even at the best of times.

If anything, maybe he should continue being the ODI keeper/bat at 5 with Samson as back-up but that is about it. We should have Mayank and Prithvi ahead of him as backup openers in both T20s and Tests.

How about Pujara? He should play more Domestic In Indian than england

 

[anil1405]

Kohli you prick...huge scare that.

 

[Burgey]

That untidy bit of work from Carey stands out. He's been very good so far this test. Keeping has improved a lot in the last year.

 

[Burgey]

I say it today with confidence. Murphy will overtake Lyon in the spinner rankings and in terms of achievements. Looks quality.

Lyon has bowled pretty well so far as well. Created a few chances but nothing to show for it yet.

 

[honestbharani]

I say it today with confidence. Murphy will overtake Lyon in the spinner rankings and in terms of achievements. Looks quality.

I am not too sure. Lyon is definitely overrated around the cricket world and even here by a few but his great skillset is how good he can be in SENA backing up the fast bowlers. I am not too sure if Murphy will have that skillset and at the end of the day, that maybe more valuable for Aus than being good in SC but not as good in SENA.

Its way too early to tell but agree he definitely looks quality and has great potential.

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

I say it today with confidence. Murphy will overtake Lyon in the spinner rankings and in terms of achievements. Looks quality.

Not a bad shout , he's only 22 years old and bowling so confidently...Definitely Lyons successor

 

[Spark]

Kohli looks unreasonably bad here.

 

[G. S. Kohli]

Last year or so, Bombay born Patel (Equalling Lacker & Kumble) took 10 wkts at Bombay in test vs India
I wish Todd Murphy gets 10 fer or Break record of Jason Krezja (12 wkts on debut on loosing Cause)

Krezja given 358 runs.

Murphy 13/?/33/3*

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

The beauty of sport , as one Era ends ..another begins .

 

[Spark]

Just thinking about this the other day, I dont think I have seen a more limited great batsman than Virat in tests. There are so many shots and options and parts of the ground he never plays or cannot play to. Bowlers should always find it easier to limit him.

It poses an interesting question: how much of his slump is him being out of form, and how much is it him being "found out" to an extent? It's very rare to hear bowlers around the world talk so openly about how if they stick to a single, simple plan, then they can contain a batsman of his calibre.

 

[honestbharani]

It poses an interesting question: how much of his slump is him being out of form, and how much is it him being "found out" to an extent? It's very rare to hear bowlers around the world talk so openly about how if they stick to a single, simple plan, then they can contain a batsman of his calibre.

That is the thing though. He was not "found out" as much as he himself changed his game to be this way. He was not this way in 2015, for instance. Its almost as if he perfected a certain method of even less risky consistency for a period but that period away and then slowing reflexes with age means he has so much lesser options now.

A bit like MSD in his later years as he also seemed to cut down on certain strokes and even playing a certain way till the slog etc and then he lost the ability to hit on the up and put away decent length balls. It has not been as pronounced with Virat and he is enough of a freak to get it back into his game over time. So there's that.

 

[Spark]

That is the thing though. He was not "found out" as much as he himself changed his game to be this way. He was not this way in 2015, for instance. Its almost as if he perfected a certain method of even less risky consistency for a period but that period away and then slowing reflexes with age means he has so much lesser options now.

A bit like MSD in his later years as he also seemed to cut down on certain strokes and even playing a certain way till the slog etc and then he lost the ability to hit on the up and put away decent length balls. It has not been as pronounced with Virat and he is enough of a freak to get it back into his game over time. So there's that.

It's just such an odd trajectory though. You expect batsmen to get more versatile, and more adaptable and add more to their repertoire with age as they get more experience and learn new things through osmosis from the greater cricketing world, to counteract their lesser physical and mental capabilities. But he seems to have done the opposite.

 

[GotSpin]

Boland at one end against Kohli please

 

[Shri]

spinners bowling this angle to kohli means he will not get bowled and do the surprise pikachu face

 

[Spark]

He'll score plenty if Lyon keeps bowling like this though

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

It poses an interesting question: how much of his slump is him being out of form, and how much is it him being "found out" to an extent? It's very rare to hear bowlers around the world talk so openly about how if they stick to a single, simple plan, then they can contain a batsman of his calibre.

What about reflexes that diminish with age ? He's 34 now it's happened before , Graeme Smith was done by 33

 

[Spark]

What about reflexes that diminish with age ? He's 34 now it's happened before , Graeme Smith was done by 33

Right but that's my point, you expect batsmen to add more options and shots and use their experience and nous to counteract that (look at Smith changing his technique a million times over the last year to see an extreme case of that). Kohli hasn't.

 

[honestbharani]

It's just such an odd trajectory though. You expect batsmen to get more versatile, and more adaptable and add more to their repertoire with age as they get more experience and learn new things through osmosis from the greater cricketing world, to counteract their lesser physical and mental capabilities. But he seems to have done the opposite.

Yeah, him and MSD to an extent. I think it was an intent to be as bullet-proof as possible at their best. And it ends up costing them the moment they go off from being their best physically but then again, that is gonna happen to everyone with age.

I have felt it at times with Smith too, tbh. He changes his technique etc but I really think that might cost him over time too, if it's already not started.

 

[anil1405]

Nice comeback from Aus in the second hour. Boland and Murphy seem to be the guys to play with extra care.

 

[Spark]

Yeah, him and MSD to an extent. I think it was an intent to be as bullet-proof as possible at their best. And it ends up costing them the moment they go off from being their best physically but then again, that is gonna happen to everyone with age.

I have felt it at times with Smith too, tbh. He changes his technique etc but I really think that might cost him over time too, if it's already not started.

I would have endorsed this view wrt Smith not six months ago, indeed I said repeatedly that Smith's "slump" was mostly down to him changing his technique to try and eliminate any semblance of risk but at the cost of making him frightfully dull at times. But if anything he's reversed that and has opened himself to far more risk again to open up the offside as a run scoring zone.