1st Match - India v New Zealand (15th March)

[Black_Warrior]

I'm all for a pitch having assistance to the bowlers, but this just looked like a beast to bat on. Barely a shot out the middle of the bat all night. Ball was holding up too much to hit straight and turning too much to hit square with any power. Overall lead to a very dull and frustrating to watch match, imo (apart from the upset and NZ win factor).

One thing to consider though, other than Rohit, Dhawan, Kohli and Dhoni, I wouldn't really count on the rest to see the team through in a chase. Kohli and Dhoni were playing fine, Kohli was middling the ball really well too, but Kohli got an excellent delivery and Dhoni was just left with too much to do when he got out. Rohit and Dhawan's dismissals weren't the pitch turning square. As for watching the rest of them struggle to middle the ball, it's just a combination of pressure and lack of skill in that situation.

Raina often looks like a tailender when facing quality bowling.

 

[indiaholic]

It's important to dissociate what I enjoy from what I think India should do. I like wickets, I was a bowler. Low score v low score excites me. I believe batsmen have it all too easy.

However, I also believe it to be such a narrow-minded view for home sides to 'doctor' pitches to suit what they're already good at. For a start, it's dependent on the flight of a coin to a large degree. Secondly, don't these sides want to be the best by competing in all conditions, rather than being 'home track bullies'? The great Indian side of the 2000s didn't need dustbowls, they won at home through seam and spin then went away and competed on everything but the dirty green ones we produced. This side just seems to sit back and wait until the conditions suit them. 3-1 in England and 2-0 in Australia hardly counts as pretty well, does it? Haven't won a Test series outside the sub-continent since 2011 in the Windies?

As a limited overs side, we do far better on pitches that are flat. That is what we have played on for years and those are the kinds of pitches that Dhoni strategizes the best for. The Nagpur pitch is traditionally a low, slow turner. Would be very surprised if the rest of the pitches follow this format.

Not fair to club T20 performances with tests, is it? When I said pretty well I was referring to the t20 series in Australia.

 

[Black_Warrior]

I wonder if Shastri had a word with the Nagpur curator after the match?

 

[Top_Cat]

The ball really turned but I don't think I've ever seen an Indian side play spin so poorly.

 

[Daemon]

The ball really turned but I don't think I've ever seen an Indian side play spin so poorly.

Didn't watch the match but was it worse than the recent Tests against SA?

 

[Prince EWS]

Didn't watch the match but was it worse than the recent Tests against SA?

Absolutely not. It was barely worse at all than the qualifying matches at the same venue. I think it's just the sort of pitch the groundsman there produces now, tbh.

 

[Black_Warrior]

The ball really turned but I don't think I've ever seen an Indian side play spin so poorly.

In the India South Africa series, they were just as bad barring Rahane or Vijay in a few innings. The difference was, South Africa were even worse.

 

[Black_Warrior]

The narrative about Indian batsmen and spin today as taken an interesting turn. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that this generation of Indian batsmen aren't as good as the previous, and anyone who has seen the Sri Lanka series or the South Africa series last year would be aware. I don't necessarily see this as a big deal, I think it's just a matter of time before guys like Kohli or Rahane pick it up.

The interesting thing though is that the commentators especially the Indian ones like Laxman or Bhogle are absolutely oblivious to this. They will still make the same cliched statements people used to make 5 years ago about Indian batsmen being naturally excellent at playing spin. And the non Indian commentators I feel don't dare to challenge that narrative or are even more oblivious.

I am not saying to bash these guys are awful players of spin. But at least change the narrative a little bit, perhaps talk about how this generation is more suited to pace and bounce, hence doing much better on Australian or South African pitches, but with time they will pick this up as well as they play more games here.

 

[Athlai]

The narrative about Indian batsmen and spin today as taken an interesting turn. .

Immediately stopped reading in rage.

 

[Black_Warrior]

 

[Pratters]

The narrative about Indian batsmen and spin today as taken an interesting turn. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that this generation of Indian batsmen aren't as good as the previous, and anyone who has seen the Sri Lanka series or the South Africa series last year would be aware. I don't necessarily see this as a big deal, I think it's just a matter of time before guys like Kohli or Rahane pick it up.

The interesting thing though is that the commentators especially the Indian ones like Laxman or Bhogle are absolutely oblivious to this. They will still make the same cliched statements people used to make 5 years ago about Indian batsmen being naturally excellent at playing spin. And the non Indian commentators I feel don't dare to challenge that narrative or are even more oblivious.

I am not saying to bash these guys are awful players of spin. But at least change the narrative a little bit, perhaps talk about how this generation is more suited to pace and bounce, hence doing much better on Australian or South African pitches, but with time they will pick this up as well as they play more games here.

Last match was not about inability to play spin as much as a flaw in approach. They just wanted to hit every thing and make the small total. Played cross batted shots like they usually do. Only later the players started playing straight. There is a case to be made Indian batsmen are less adept against spin but the last match isn't it. Also, please don't give any weight to what Bhogle says.