Indian Selections

[Craig]

Here is a Wierd suggestion but here you go -

How about Dropping Parthiv and let Dravid keep wickets, Make Gangs bat at Parthiv's position. Yuvraj keeps his position.

If Parthiv got injured then obviously Dravid would don the gloves, but he is part-time at best and it would likely affect his batting. Then again his average could go up, but my feeling is that it will go down. His keeping is acceptable at ODIs as it gives them plenty of options (ie another bowler/batsman), but I dont think it is of Test standard.

Ideally Ganguly should bat at 6. Yuvraj would be unlucky to miss out (providing Chopra keeps his spot), but it is a good sign that your replacement batsmen preform.

 

[Jamee999]

hey why can't i see the poll results anymore?

It's got my off topic poll in instead

 

[Sudeep]

What I would do:

Sachin opens with Sehwag.
Ganguly at no. 4, Yuvraj at no. 6 and Patel at 7.

What I think the the team management will do:

Dravid opens with Sehwag.
Laxman promoted to no. 3, Yuvraj at no. 6 and Patel at 7.

I won't consider moving Sachin to the opening spot a negative move. The guy has done everything one can imagine is possible in Test cricket, why not let him enjoy some more success, this time at the top of the order. He still has what, a minimum of 5 years left him in. So if he clicks at the opening spot, Sachin-Sehwag for 5 years answers your opening worries for a considerable amount of time.

But most likely, Dravid or Patel will open. I think Dravid will be a much better choice, and that way Laxman can move up the order and bat at no. 3.

 

[Arjun]

What I would do:

Sachin opens with Sehwag.
Ganguly at no. 4, Yuvraj at no. 6 and Patel at 7.

Very good move. He's far better than all the specialist openers tried in the recent past, none of whom deserve a place in the team, though Chopra's a lot better.

What I think the the team management will do:

Dravid opens with Sehwag.
Laxman promoted to no. 3, Yuvraj at no. 6 and Patel at 7.

He too will make a good opener, as long as he erases that mental block about opening and applies himself.

However, I would play Powar at 7, then Pathan at 8. Parthiv may provide stiff resistance, but only when the bowlers go to sleep, but he won't make runs against an active bowling attack. Powar and Pathan can get runs.

But taking 20 wickets is most important, even for the best batting lineup in action.

 

[Lions81]

My Starting XI for the Rawalpindi Test for India would be:

Parthiv Patel
Virender Sehwag
Rahul Dravid
VVS Laxman
Sourav Ganguly
Sachin Tendulkar
Yuvraj Singh
Irfan Pathan
Lakshmipathy Balaji
Anil Kumble
Ashish Nehra

The thinking behind Patel opening is that I think he can just help see out overs and the new ball, whereas Yuvraj is a formidable bat in the middle order, and players don't always open well despite being good elsewhere in the order. (VVS Laxman was a terrible opener and has now turned into a solid middle-order batsman.) Also, I dropped Tendulkar from 4 because I think it's really too much pressure for him. Laxman seems to thrive on pressure and so him at 4 would be good, and I think Tendulkar at 6 really is perfect. He'll come in at 4 down, and so either India will have already put up a good score or they'll be screwed, and since Tendulkar seems good at pummeling teams when they are down and not so much at rescuing the side, 6 is perfect. If they're in a bad way at 4 down, they're screwed anyway. Maybe one can swap Singh and Ganguly, but I'd prefer the experience of Ganguly at 5.

 

[Craig]

My Starting XI for the Rawalpindi Test for India would be:

Parthiv Patel
Virender Sehwag
Rahul Dravid
VVS Laxman
Sourav Ganguly
Sachin Tendulkar
Yuvraj Singh
Irfan Pathan
Lakshmipathy Balaji
Anil Kumble
Ashish Nehra

The thinking behind Patel opening is that I think he can just help see out overs and the new ball, whereas Yuvraj is a formidable bat in the middle order, and players don't always open well despite being good elsewhere in the order. (VVS Laxman was a terrible opener and has now turned into a solid middle-order batsman.) Also, I dropped Tendulkar from 4 because I think it's really too much pressure for him. Laxman seems to thrive on pressure and so him at 4 would be good, and I think Tendulkar at 6 really is perfect. He'll come in at 4 down, and so either India will have already put up a good score or they'll be screwed, and since Tendulkar seems good at pummeling teams when they are down and not so much at rescuing the side, 6 is perfect. If they're in a bad way at 4 down, they're screwed anyway. Maybe one can swap Singh and Ganguly, but I'd prefer the experience of Ganguly at 5.

I would rather play another bowler (quick or spinner) then an extra batter. India is blessed with such a talented batting line-up and Yuvraj will be the unlucky one out, but he would be very naive to think he wouldnt miss out when Ganguly gets fit.

Laxman at 5, SRT at 4 (where he's been most successful) and Ganguly at 6. You can either Powar or AA.

 

[luckyeddie]

I think the idea of a wicket-keeper opening is not exactly a good one.

Just imagine - it's a slow pitch, Pakistan bat first, don't exactly go mental but knock up 400. It takes them until mid-afternoon on the second day. Patel has kept to about 40 overs of Kumble and probably 20 of Tendulkar's twirlies.

His most exulted regal left-handedness says 'Keep your pads on, Parthiv. You're opening'.

Don't YOU think that Ganguly would have trouble retrieving a wicket-keeping glove from his throat?

 

[marc71178]

I would rather play another bowler (quick or spinner) then an extra batter.

Excpet they're already trying to squeeze 7 batsmen into 6 spots.

Playing an extra bowler would make it 7 into 5 - you like to work out which 2 go?

 

[Craig]

Excpet they're already trying to squeeze 7 batsmen into 6 spots.

Playing an extra bowler would make it 7 into 5 - you like to work out which 2 go?

Did you not read the part I would play another bowler instead of a 7th batsmen?

I wasnt talking about India doing, except a personal preference. Not so hard to see that, no?

 

[luckyeddie]

Did you not read the part I would play another bowler instead of a 7th batsmen?

I wasnt talking about India doing, except a personal preference. Not so hard to see that, no?

Speaking as one pedant to another and on behalf of a third, you said that you'd play another bowler then another batter.

 

[Adamc]

Well it's (sort of) official. Chopra has been dropped for the 3rd Test, Ganguly says either he or Yuvraj will open, along with Sehwag of course.

From cricinfo:

Ganguly On who will open the batting with Virender Sehwag
"It's a tough call. It will be either myself or Yuvraj. When we picked Yuvraj ahead of [Sadagoppan] Ramesh in the squad, he had agreed to open if required. This is a one-off situation, and the question is, what is best for the team. At the end of the day, I'm not an opener. But it's also difficult shifting a guy [Yuvraj] from his position when he's done well there. But in the long run, Yuvraj has to consider himself as an opener."

 

[marc71178]

Did you not read the part I would play another bowler instead of a 7th batsmen?

That's all well and good, but you must have a keeper who can bat very well or the tail is far too long.

I wasnt talking about India doing, except a personal preference. Not so hard to see that, no?

My apologies, we were discussing what India would do and you were quoting a post talking about the Indian line up, so clearly you weren't talking about India, but more about in general!

 

[rishi]

i agree sachin should be the opener