***Official*** England in India

[SpaceMonkey]

The problem is, KP isn't the sort of player to bat through the innings (due to overconfidence IMO) - so if people want him to go in early, he almost certainly won't be there by the slog overs.

Incidentally I don't think people have given Dravid enough credit for his use of power plays yesterday - definitely thought a lot about how to do it, and it worked a treat.

I thought Dravid got lucky with the power play, he was in deep trouble and only called the power play when he did as he didnt want to use them near the last 10 overs.

Lucky for him England imploded during them, but they could easily have gotten away.

 

[silentstriker]

I thought Dravid got lucky with the power play, he was in deep trouble and only called the power play when he did as he didnt want to use them near the last 10 overs.

Lucky for him England imploded during them, but they could easily have gotten away.

He used the powerplay when he though the English batsman were tired and would make a mistake during the powerplay.

 

[luckyeddie]

Botham is full of himself too. Someone needs to remind him there's no such thing as 'we' or 'our team' in the Com box..Also can he explain the statement "the best teams in world don't change for test & ODI's, we do".

First point - in my opinion, Ian Botham can say what he likes (within reason) in the commentary box. It would be absolutely dreadful if all the commentators were 'neutral' - like TMS without cake.

The second statement seems quite straightforward - the best sides at OD cricket tend to have a 'core' of their side that are regulars in the test side - say 8 players at least. England have had this 'tradition' of having a one-day side filled with 'one day specialists' - players like Irani, for goodness sake.

What Botham was implying was that we ought to just think about playing our best cricketers - in both forms

 

[neutralguy]

I'm really glad they rested Dravid and brought in Vikram Singh. I tell you, the end is near for Agarkar.

I dont think so. Agarkar is an enigma for team india and he has this knack of picking wickets (atleast 2 wickets in every match), though might be a tad expensive. And since most of the fast bowlers in india is anyway injury prone most of the times, i dont see why they would leave out agarkar.

 

[marc71178]

I thought Dravid got lucky with the power play, he was in deep trouble and only called the power play when he did as he didnt want to use them near the last 10 overs.

Lucky for him England imploded during them, but they could easily have gotten away.

I'm not so sure it was luck, I think it genuinely was a good bit of thinking when looking at the conditions and the nature of the batsman.

We have to remember that it was the first ball KP faced in the PP and he immediately decided he had to attack completely when a bit of decorum was probably more in order.

 

[luckyeddie]

I'm not so sure it was luck, I think it genuinely was a good bit of thinking when looking at the conditions and the nature of the batsman.

We have to remember that it was the first ball KP faced in the PP and he immediately decided he had to attack completely when a bit of decorum was probably more in order.

I think that it was quite brilliantly thought-out - KP was melting in the heat and over the previous few overs had been unable to find the fence very often.

 

[adharcric]

I dont think so. Agarkar is an enigma for team india and he has this knack of picking wickets (atleast 2 wickets in every match), though might be a tad expensive. And since most of the fast bowlers in india is anyway injury prone most of the times, i dont see why they would leave out agarkar.

Well that useless-wicket-taking knack is enough for him to retain his place over the likes of Zaheer and Nehra, but we all know that the selectors are backing young talent more than anything else right now. If Pathan, Sreesanth, Munaf, RP Singh and VRV are all firing, I don't think Agarkar's luck will help him out anymore. Youth is the key here, he's no longer up against Zaheers and Nehras.

 

[kvemuri]

I think INdia should play this side on Sunday:


SEhwag
Uthappa
Kaif
Yuvraj
Rao
Raina
Dhoni
Harbhajan
Powar
Patel
Sreesanth


Pathan needs a break. YUvraj can be rested for the last two games probably. Pathan can come back for the last game so that he is back to match practice for the Abu Dhabi series.

I would drop Bhajj too and replace him with VRV for at least 2 games.

 

[adharcric]

I would drop Bhajj too and replace him with VRV for at least 2 games.

same here. rp singh should also get a game in place of sreesanth for the 6th ODI.
for now, there might not even be a 5th odi, it's pouring in guwahati.

 

[viktor]

Well that useless-wicket-taking knack is enough for him to retain his place over the likes of Zaheer and Nehra, but we all know that the selectors are backing young talent more than anything else right now. If Pathan, Sreesanth, Munaf, RP Singh and VRV are all firing, I don't think Agarkar's luck will help him out anymore. Youth is the key here, he's no longer up against Zaheers and Nehras.

And why do you think any of the new crop is so much better than Zaheer and the others?
I am not going to deny that the performance by these bowlers has been really good but I remember feeling the same about Zaheer in his early days. Let us wait a few days before anointing them the saviours of Indian bowling. Youth is not an issue, AA isn't on his last legs as far as his fitness goes.

In the meanwhile, AA rules...

 

[honestbharani]

And why do you think any of the new crop is so much better than Zaheer and the others?
I am not going to deny that the performance by these bowlers has been really good but I remember feeling the same about Zaheer in his early days. Let us wait a few days before anointing them the saviours of Indian bowling. Youth is not an issue, AA isn't on his last legs as far as his fitness goes.

In the meanwhile, AA rules...

Spread the word.

 

[Arjun]

How about this combination?

• Sehwag
• Uthappa– Bring back Gambhir!
• Yuvraj
• Kaif
• Raina
• Dhoni (WK)
• Irfan (LMF)
• Munaf (RFM)
• Powar (OB)
• RP Singh (LFM)
• Sreesanth (RFM)

Or have Harbhajan in for Powar, Munaf or RP Singh.

 

[wpdavid]

First point - in my opinion, Ian Botham can say what he likes (within reason) in the commentary box. It would be absolutely dreadful if all the commentators were 'neutral' - like TMS without cake.

The second statement seems quite straightforward - the best sides at OD cricket tend to have a 'core' of their side that are regulars in the test side - say 8 players at least. England have had this 'tradition' of having a one-day side filled with 'one day specialists' - players like Irani, for goodness sake.

What Botham was implying was that we ought to just think about playing our best cricketers - in both forms

Not for the first time, Botham's ignoring or just ignorant of the facts. When everyone's been available, most of our test side do play in the ODI's. Only Hoggard, who's been horribly expensive and Bell, who perhaps has been unlucky, didn't play in the NW games last summer and went on to play in the Ashes first choice XI.

Looking at the current situation, Prior came in against Pakistan because Vaughan went home. The additional absence of Tresco has meant that Shah/Solanki has played against India. Blackwell is only playing because Giles isn't there. Ali/Mahmood wouldn't have played if Harmison was present. Of the test regulars in India, Panesar's fielding surely makes him a liability in this form of the game, although Udal can consider himself unlucky to have been overlooked for Batty. Oh, and Bell can probably consider himself unlucky too.

 

[pug]

How about this combination?

• Sehwag
• Uthappa– Bring back Gambhir!
• Yuvraj
• Kaif
• Raina
• Dhoni (WK)
• Irfan (LMF)
• Munaf (RFM)
• Powar (OB)
• RP Singh (LFM)
• Sreesanth (RFM)

Or have Harbhajan in for Powar, Munaf or RP Singh.

I wouldn't mind the exact team you have chosen but I think its highly unlikely that the team management will go with a 5-5 combination with only one regular spinner. But seeing all the young seamers in action together would be interesting. That said, with GC, you never know.

 

[pug]

Interesting thing I just read, Kaif's average over the last 8 matches is 22/7 or pi.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Not for the first time, Botham's ignoring or just ignorant of the facts. When everyone's been available, most of our test side do play in the ODI's. Only Hoggard, who's been horribly expensive and Bell, who perhaps has been unlucky, didn't play in the NW games last summer and went on to play in the Ashes first choice XI.

Looking at the current situation, Prior came in against Pakistan because Vaughan went home. The additional absence of Tresco has meant that Shah/Solanki has played against India. Blackwell is only playing because Giles isn't there. Ali/Mahmood wouldn't have played if Harmison was present. Of the test regulars in India, Panesar's fielding surely makes him a liability in this form of the game, although Udal can consider himself unlucky to have been overlooked for Batty. Oh, and Bell can probably consider himself unlucky too.

Very much so, I think. To score 71 in a warmup game where another guy scored 0, and have him picked over you four days later is a tad harsh. And Bell appears to be exactly what we need in our OD side, a nurdler who can play a long innings. I might be inclined to give him a go at the top of the order alongside Strauss, and drop Prior to 7.

 

[open365]

I think anyone who says having the one day side as close to the test side as possible is talking crap.

If Enland want to suceed in ODIs, they have to start taking them seriously and as a seperate entity from the test form of the game. As it stands, Fletch isn't acting in the best intrests of the ODI team by keeping Vaughan in the side and playing two keepers.

 

[Arjun]

I wouldn't mind the exact team you have chosen but I think its highly unlikely that the team management will go with a 5-5 combination with only one regular spinner. But seeing all the young seamers in action together would be interesting. That said, with GC, you never know.

Frankly, I have treated the seamers as bowlers of different styles. You have Irfan, who can swing the new ball into the batsmen, then Sreesanth, who can mix outswingers with some disconcerting rising deliveries at a greater pace, then RP Singh who should just bowl seam-up at any pace (with enough variation) without giving any room, then Munaf Patel bowling fast and reverse-swinging the ball and maybe even bowling a few bouncers.

 

[The Baconator]

I might be inclined to give him a go at the top of the order alongside Strauss, and drop Prior to 7.

I hope they give him a chance at opening, cricinfo seem to agree as well.

 

[Langeveldt]

I've just seen the new England shirt for 2006 ODI's..


They really do take ODI's to be some sort of a joke.. I couldn't have done worse if I'd tried to..