"I want a defensive partner"

[V Reddy]

It did not work with Rathour, Badani, The Big Four, Bangar and all those wicketkeepers. It either comes off very well, or it doesn't, with Sehwag. Even in the Australian team, Langer is more defensive, but just attacks to add an extra facet to his batting.

Rathore - He was an opener for Punjab too and so makeshift does not come into picture here. He failed b'coz he was not good enough

Bangar - I actually think it was a success. He did pretty well till that NZ series and he was always a bits and pieces all rounder in Ranji and his avg in Ranji was around 25 and so he exceeded the expectations and bowled quite well in England and NZ too .

Badani- You use only one series as an excuse for Chopra yet you criticise Hemang who played only one test

I wouldn't term Nayan Mongia and all as a failure b'coz the regular openers were performing much worse and much wasn't expected of those keepers anyway . Dasgupta and Bangar did the same thing as Chopra is doing now .

All these names mentioned above aren't in the same class as Yuvraj and there is none better place to start out as an opener than in India. Although i agree that Chopra has performed well but i agree with Ganguly's point of view too

 

[tooextracool]

All these names mentioned above aren't in the same class as Yuvraj and there is none better place to start out as an opener than in India.

although i do hope that most people realise that his true test will come only 2 years later(or whenever they play an away series outside the sub continent)

 

[marc71178]

It worked with Sehwag, why not Yuvraj?

It then becomes 2 makeshift openers though...

 

[Arjun]

Badani- You use only one series as an excuse for Chopra yet you criticise Hemang who played only one test

Hemang was a makeshift opener, as Yuvraj will be. After one innings that failed, they dropped him and it dented his confidence a great deal as he had a rather average series in Zimbabwe and a disastrous tour of SL. I don't want the same to happen to Yuvraj- he is at his best when he attacks, and he may end up playing more defensively. Yuvraj is still a lot better than Badani against pace, but not as good as Chopra. Besides, there is a slot for an opener, but Badani is by no means a good choice to open with.

Bangar - I actually think it was a success. He did pretty well till that NZ series and he was always a bits and pieces all rounder in Ranji and his avg in Ranji was around 25 and so he exceeded the expectations and bowled quite well in England and NZ too .

Bangar's bowling is better than his batting. He has done a decent job in helpful conditions in England and NZ, and he did rather well in the Kenstar series as an opening bowler, while Munaf just bowled rubbish. His batting is not of top-6 quality, though.

I wouldn't term Nayan Mongia and all as a failure b'coz the regular openers were performing much worse and much wasn't expected of those keepers anyway . Dasgupta and Bangar did the same thing as Chopra is doing now .

They were still not good enough. With good regular openers, you'll get runs at the top, as you will, with Chopra, and probably Jaffer and Gambhir.

 

[SJS]

So how can the captain select a player to open if the selectors don't select hi in the first place?

There you go again. But lets give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you really are dumb. So here you are :_

Of course, the selectors select the team.

They select batsmen, such as Sehwag, Chopra, Yuvraj, etc etc along with others.

They do not nominate openers though a team does contain openers as well as other batsmen.

If the captain gets both Chopra and Yuvraj and Sehwag in the team, he has the choice to include all three, two, one or neither of them in the playing eleven.

Then from those whom he selects he can decide who will open.

This is what is meant by, "The selectors are not to decide the batting order. That is always the captain's prerpogative."

This discussion is about Sehwag's preference of a particular opener. In this case Chopra over Yuvraj.

The selectors have NOT DROPPED CHOPRA from the Indian side yet !

Ganguly has declared his preference for Yuvraj. He has every right to excercise the same even if Chopra is available in the 14 or twelve selected.

He can make Sehwag and Yuvraj open even if he includes Chopra in the playing eleven.

This is what is meant by " The selectors are not to decide the batting order. That is always the captain's prerpogative."

Please do keep posting if things are not yet clear to you

 

[marc71178]

You call me dumb then say that the selectors select the team and the captain chooses which out of the players to play?

If the team is selected, then that is the 11 to play.

 

[SJS]

You call me dumb then say that the selectors select the team and the captain chooses which out of the players to play?

If the team is selected, then that is the 11 to play.

So ?? Whats the point ? Where is the batting order in this ?

Selectors dont select the 11. They select 14 normally. The discussion here is about Yuvraj replacing Chopra. Selectors dont come into it. Even if they include Chopra in the side, Ganguly is not obliged to use him as an opener.

So, to say that selectors choose openers is dumb or silly or stupid or whatever you prefer.

 

[Deja moo]

although i do hope that most people realise that his true test will come only 2 years later(or whenever they play an away series outside the sub continent)

Which is exactly why Yuvraj should be tried now.

India will be playing 10 (?) tests over this season , all in the subcontinent.

Yuvraj has 10 tests to prove his ability as an opener , which is an adequate cushion for a player.

If he clicks in the subcontinent , who knows ? Maybe the confidence gained will carry him to perform well outside India too.

 

[Arjun]

Yuvraj seems to be a better player away from home than at home, and better against pace than spin. He likes the ball coming on the bat at a good pace to hit.

 

[Deja moo]

Yuvraj seems to be a better player away from home than at home, and better against pace than spin. He likes the ball coming on the bat at a good pace to hit.

He's better against pace than spin, so shouldnt he open?

 

[Arjun]

Number 3/4 would be better, so that he can use his hitting power a lot more.

 

[Deja moo]

Number 3/4 would be better, so that he can use his hitting power a lot more.

No 3/4 doesnt come into the picture at all .

Its either open the batting or dont play at all.

 

[marc71178]

Selectors dont select the 11. They select 14 normally.

You're the one that said they select the team - there's 11 in a team.

The Captains job is to manage the TEAM he is given - he may be asked his opinion, but the nature of his role means selectors see a lot more of players than he will.

 

[tooextracool]

Which is exactly why Yuvraj should be tried now.

India will be playing 10 (?) tests over this season , all in the subcontinent.

Yuvraj has 10 tests to prove his ability as an opener , which is an adequate cushion for a player..

even if yuvraj is successful as an opener in the sub continent, which i am quite sure he will be, the real test will be outside the sub continent and i wouldnt consider himself proven as an opener until he does..... i know of the tendency of people to hype their players, if yuvraj maintains his average of 50 after these 10 tests chopra will not even be considered when they do go outside the sub continent.....and that might just be a major major mistake.

 

[Arjun]

Scoring runs at home will be even more difficult for Yuvraj- he's not that good against the slower bowlers, but he had improved in the tour of Pakistan.

 

[Arjun]

A section of fans are being unfair to Chopra. If after just 8 matches, a Test average of 28 is not good enough to keep him, then does that mean Andrew Strauss is a modern batting legend? Or was Gauguly supposed to be miles ahead of every other batsman because his average in the first series was 125? Give the man some time, and he will get more runs. If not Chopra, whom would you suggest? Das and Ramesh may be experienced, but they're not as good as Chopra, with a very strong base in FC as an opener. Makeshift openers are always a gamble, and may actually be playing below par, as Laxman was, till he went down. Wicketkeepers should not open the batting, nor should frontline bowlers. That leaves Wasim Jaffer- good batsman, but not as good, and Gautam Gambhir, who's very inconsistent.

 

[SJS]

You're the one that said they select the team - there's 11 in a team.

The Captains job is to manage the TEAM he is given - he may be asked his opinion, but the nature of his role means selectors see a lot more of players than he will.

Do you know the difference between team and playing eleven ? And between selecting the players and deciding the batting order ?

No?

Oh I am sorry, I forgot.

You are here to boost your tally of posts so its difficult to expect a meaningful dialogue with you.

Please continue your enlightened one liners..

 

[masterblaster]

You never know, after all this debate Ganguly and Wright might make Patel open once more, with Yuvraj at 6 and Ganguly at 7.

Even though the above decision is utter garbage, India have been known to throw the wicketkeeper into the deep end.

In an 'ideal' world, a Chopra-Sehwag combination is the best one. For me, Chopra should stay, he is one of the major reasons the tour to Australia was such a success.

 

[marc71178]

Do you know the difference between team and playing eleven ?

There is no difference - a team has 11 members, it's in the laws of the game.

 

[Arjun]

You never know, after all this debate Ganguly and Wright might make Patel open once more, with Yuvraj at 6 and Ganguly at 7.

I do hope Patel gets out for a low sub-ten score, so that the selectors realise their error, but there should be a century partnership for the first wicket too.