**Official** 4th Test at Melbourne, 26-30 Dec 2024

[sayon basak]

I really Hope Rohit plays.

 

[silentstriker]

of course he's gonna play. Are you expecting a backbone from the selectors?

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

Happy Christmas Day Test day to all who celebrate! Be interesting to see how Konstas goes, I’d have picked him from the start, leaves me a bit cold how they started the series with McSweeney in an unfamiliar role and then dropped him so quickly, I feel you either give the young lad a whirl from the start or give McSweeney the whole series, it smacks a bit of indecision

 

[Blenkinsop]

it smacks a bit of indecision

It smacks a lot of 90s era England selection.

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

It smacks a lot of 90s era England selection.

Bazball England would have picked Konstas from the start…if picking a guy with a first class average of 42 isn’t too mainstream for them!

 

[Betterpolo]

It smacks a lot of 90s era England selection.

Aye... dropping newcomers too soon, clinging on to old hands for too long, shuffling things around and weakening strengths more than strengthening weaknesses as a result, the eternal search for all-rounders to balance the team but ending up with bits and pieces instead. Okay, I'm exaggerating but the Aussies do seem to be doubting their own proven methods.

 

[morgieb]

Finally we win a toss lol

 

[silentstriker]

They dropped Gill? And no Krishna. And six bowlers.


The crack must be flowing freely during the Indian selection meetings.

 

[silentstriker]

Betting $150 on Australia as we speak.

 

[ataraxia]

One of the rare situations in which picking 6 bowlers makes sense. It's unironically 3 batting all-rounders and 3 bowlers.

 

[silentstriker]

One of the rare situations in which picking 6 bowlers makes sense. It's unironically 3 batting all-rounders and 3 bowlers.

Nah. No.

Batting as **** as it is, you need actual proper batsmen. What the hell will two spinners do here?

 

[TimAngas]

Sundar/Jadeja 6/7 is surely a bit light on the batting.

 

[ataraxia]

Nah. No.

Batting as **** as it is, you need actual proper batsmen. What the hell will two spinners do here?

I'm tired of pretending they're not proper batsmen. Certainly not much worse than Gill or Sarfaraz in these conditions lmao.

 

[TimAngas]

I'm tired of pretending they're not proper batsmen. Certainly not much worse than Gill or Sarfaraz in these conditions lmao.

How can you be sure about Sarfaraz when he has played all of his six tests in India including 3/4 on rank turners?

 

[silentstriker]

I can't be sure about anyone but you need your batsmen to score big runs and nobody is scoring them. You're basically saying we have given up and will take 30 run cameos.

 

[silentstriker]

Also, they are playing two spinners for the first time away - days after Aswhin retires. It is bonkers, and I hate everyone in this team management. Drop the whole lot besides Bumrah.

 

[ataraxia]

How can you be sure about Sarfaraz when he has played all of his six tests in India including 3/4 on rank turners?

Sarfaraz is good. But against pace and bounce he is unlikely to succeed.

 

[social]

Jadeja averages 50 with the bat in Australia so ain’t your usual bowling all rounder

 

[TimAngas]

Sarfaraz is good. But against pace and bounce he is unlikely to succeed.

I kind of understand ruling out Gill because he's had a lot of chances in these conditions and has failed to eliminate the looseness but to me seems madness not to let a guy averaging 65 in domestic cricket have a shot in different conditions. You never know who will adapt. Remember when Head wasn't picked in Asia because of the idea he could never succeed against spin.

 

[silentstriker]

They said Bradman couldn't score in England. If you score that much in domestic competition, you deserve a shot to fail. You don't score that many runs at the FC without being able to adapt. Maybe he would be successful, maybe he wouldn't. But he deserves a shot to find that out.