That Adelaide performance from the 2019 tour doesnt get enough credit. He followed up that first innings hundred with a vital 70 odd in the second innings too.
I understand that you're not interested in discussing the impact of others involved in that series, which is fair. Pujara did a great job with his bat, sucks that he's basically out of the Test scene now.
Pant was definitely more important but honestly I'd put Rahane at the top. India pick a worse leader who doesn't keep the team focussed and together as well as he did with all the **** going on around and within the team and, well, plenty of sides have suffered less setbacks and still collapsed mentally by the end of the tour. Plus that innings at Melbourne was absolutely vital for both team morale and, like, in the situation of the game itself.
Eh I love Rahanes work but that's a stretch. Ashwin tied Smith down for two tests and played a match saving innings with an injured back in the third. Jadeja was terrific too.
TBF I probably overrate the importance of leadership to the point of breaking reason the most out of anyone on this forum so I'll happily sit in the minority there.
It sounds crazy because the numbers just aren't there but I honestly think India should still consider him when time comes. Yeah he might not score any and Gill, Iyer etc are the future but does anyone see those two standing there for two hours and just taking bouncer after bouncer on the chest and shoulder and forearm and not reacting to it because hey at least they can't get him out that way if he just takes it? Because I can't.
Ironically I think the constant bowling of short balls at him all seres was actually counterproductive for us, especially on the slow pitches at Sydney and Brisbane. Of the innings I saw he never really looked like actually getting out to one, even when he was getting hit.
I agree but only because he made it so. A softer batsman with a bigger ego would have played some dumbass hook shot and panned it to fine leg after three overs.
That entire series still feels like a fever dream on both ends. Every game in the series see-sawed a million times and after the first test india just kept finding ways no matter what happened.
Hopefully Bairstow again, would resolve a lot of selection issues.
As you may recall, I managed to get into terrible arguments with two posters on 247, the irascible Sir Virgs and Sanskritsimon, in both instances as I had the temerity to criticise Leach (and Bess) for bowling poorly in one of the Sri Lanka tests that preceded the India series, and both were bowling very erratic line and lengths which would have been unacceptable for an ordinary county finger spinner. It was one occasion when I managed to wind up posters, despite not actually intending to do so, it is just that you had someone who was hilariously protective of his favourites and another who felt he had to defend a spinner no matter what!
Those two were funny. Virgs simply couldn't think rationally when anything Somerset related was involved. I remember winding him up in the Bob Willis Final when I said the toss had little impact on the game. I mean of course it did, but he lost the plot over it. And then he just disappeared, although he was more precious about Pet and Brexit. Funnily enough, it was me that 'knighted' him about 20 years ago on the old TMS Boards. Simon was just obsessed by spinners (unhealthily so).
Ha, yes! I remember the toss argument, it killed him. He had a whole load of hobby horses though that weren't always Somerset related but yep, the BWT was a cracker.
Yeah, and we all knew that, except for our friend from Somerset, who wouldn't hear a word said against him. There was another poster there who had an irrational hatred of Moeen (there were definitely racist undertones), I think he even used the Bess 5fer as a means of knocking Moeen.
