*Official* 3rd Test at the Sardar Patel Sports Complex, Ahmedabad, 24 - 28 Feb 2021

[Prince EWS]

don't understand why all the hoicks are cross-bat. surely you gotta play straight on this thing

They seem more worried about the inconsistent turn than the inconsistent bounce.

I... doubt this line of thinking.

 

[Arachnodouche]

Superb from Stokes. Such an MVP when he plays his natural game.

 

[cnerd123]

another 100 runs and England are favourites again

 

[Spark]

They seem more worried about the inconsistent turn than the inconsistent bounce.

I... doubt this line of thinking.

i actually think the reverse there isn't a bad option at all, not least because the way you play that shot means you watch the ball all the way onto the bat. the big hoick to midwicket though, nah.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Not great so far from Ashwin but this is much more of a Jadeja/haxar pitch.

 

[Burgey]

Why is Kohli so agitated? Bizarre man

 

[honestbharani]

Bad fielding by India against Stokes though. Virat and Rahane standing too deep, then Axar not watching the ball which could have been caught, Sundar letting a single to a 4.

 

[theegyptian]

The great thing is all the people that moaned about Bairstow going home in the first place.

?
I mean aren't we proven justified for that moaning.

Bairstow played decently in Sri Lanka with some important knocks that helped England win the series. He went from that to looking hopeless here in India. Why? Maybe sending someone home for a month between tests to rest and having a couple of nets in the days before this game isn't the best preparation for playing in these challenging conditions. Wouldn't it have been better if he played the first 4 tests of the winter, or the last 4?

 

[honestbharani]

Not great so far from Ashwin but this is much more of a Jadeja/haxar pitch.

Sundar will be more suited, I think. Remember how Kumble only got 1 on THAT Mumbai track?

 

[Arachnodouche]

Why is Kohli so agitated? Bizarre man

Proper headcase. I'd love to see Stokes clock him.

 

[Prince EWS]

i actually think the reverse there isn't a bad option at all, not least because the way you play that shot means you watch the ball all the way onto the bat. the big hoick to midwicket though, nah.

Yeah if it's full then the inconsistent bounce isn't much of an issue so sweeping or reversing those is a good idea. It's when they try it do it to length balls (and a sweep against a length ball is really very hard to distinguish from a hoick) that I think they should be looking to cover unexpected bounce instead.

 

[Woodster]

The slog sweep has given Stokes most boundary success against spin since 2015, it’s a shot he’s most comfortable with and will hopefully execute well in this innings.

 

[Spark]

Bad fielding by India against Stokes though. Virat and Rahane standing too deep, then Axar not watching the ball which could have been caught, Sundar letting a single to a 4.

yeah for as scary as the pitch has been, india haven't actually managed to put pressure on the batsmen in terms of keeping them on strike, preventing singles and a constant flow of runs. fields feel sort of... default

 

[Spark]

stokes or bust then

 

[Burgey]

Outside the line? Quick draw didn’t hesitate at all

nope, big edge though

 

[OverratedSanity]

Pants laughing celebration must be so grating for the batsman.

 

[Shri]

axar leave 3 for ash you glorious ****

 

[Spark]

oooh that looks bat first to me

 

[Groundking]

That's hit his bat!

 

[social]

Thought he hit it