***Official*** England in India

[marc71178]

Nope, You are looking at Season 2005 which is mainly his performance in tests in England in the summer. If you look at Flintoff's performance in the year 2005, he played 14 tests scored 709 runs @30.82.

No, I am looking at his last 30 Test matches.

 

[adharcric]

Well played Gautam Gambhir, a fine century. I guess being dropped is already making him work harder, that's good to see. That's the second time in this match the selectors have been made to look a little stupid, first Munaf's 5-59 and the selection of VRV, now Gambhir's century and the selection of Jaffer. Hopefully VRV and Jaffer make them look smart in the real tests.

 

[IndianByHeart]

Munaf should really have been selected for the test match, his non-selection and the selection of VR is bizzare.

 

[adharcric]

Well I'm sure the selectors were impressed by VRV's pace and movement or something which the figures didn't indicate. Remember, Sreesanth turned in a beautiful performance but went wicketless for 70 runs in that one-dayer against Pakistan. But I haven't heard of any dropped chances, so I'm not sure what exactly VRV did to impress the selectors. I think Munaf is at the top of the pecking order among the reserves, so he should keep up the good work and he'll be rewarded soon enough.

 

[GIMH]

Sky Sports will show the series, and have a new four year deal with BCCI

 

[Arjun]

Good effort by Gambhir. Let's just hope he makes a score of over 150 now. A promotion for Munaf Patel will help him a lot, if he starts smashing the England bowlers around– now that will serve as an eye-opener for the selectors.

As for the selections, there's not much wrong with them, except for a few issues. For instance, RP Singh isn't very effective in Tests, and should stay a change bowler in ODI's, and Munaf should surely have been picked in place of him.

The selection of the opener is doubtful, and repeated chopping and changing of openers is not going to help matters at all. It's bad enough these openers only play Tests, when they're good enough to make an Indian XI. Then they get dropped a short while later because they "don't perform". The inconsistent middle-order stays untouched. And then we wonder why they don't win Test series consistently. Besides, the two middle-order extras picked haven't done anything to make the squad ahead of Gambhir, let alone the playing XI.

No, please! Not another Parthiv Patel! Leggie Piyush Chawla has done well in the U-19 matches, but not much else. That's a flimsy excuse to get him ahead of seasoned professionals who have been leading the wicket charts in the domestic scene for years. He may be young and promising, but there are better alternatives to picking him for a Test side only to keep him on the bench. He's not even remotely likely to make the XI, so it's as good as carrying a player less. Hold on, there's India A, there is Central Zone, there's even Board President's XI, so why rush him into the side so early?

Sreesanth deserves a place in the team, and in the playing XI, but he must put his aggression to good use, as in the final ODI in Pakistan. While Irfan swings it early on, he can bowl bouncers and a few yorkers as well, and push the batsmen on the back foot. Likewise VR Singh, whose aggression and power alone should get him into the team. Both will go for more than a few runs, but they'll also get a burst of wickets not expected from the seam/swing bowlers who have played for India in the last five years. The selectors may havfe made mistakes even now, but they should be complimented for this move.

 

[Arjun]

Well I'm sure the selectors were impressed by VRV's pace and movement or something which the figures didn't indicate. Remember, Sreesanth turned in a beautiful performance but went wicketless for 70 runs in that one-dayer against Pakistan. But I haven't heard of any dropped chances, so I'm not sure what exactly VRV did to impress the selectors. I think Munaf is at the top of the pecking order among the reserves, so he should keep up the good work and he'll be rewarded soon enough.

VR Singh put the batsmen under pressure early on, and that resulted in the run-out of Trescothick as well as Strauss' scratchy innings. He may not have got a wicket, but the bowlers at the other end performed well, and they worked well as a combination. They're not looking at who got the most wickets, but how he bowls. Besides, any bowler would end up with such figures if Pietersen got stuck in him for an over.

 

[adharcric]

Good effort by Gambhir. Let's just hope he makes a score of over 150 now. A promotion for Munaf Patel will help him a lot, if he starts smashing the England bowlers around– now that will serve as an eye-opener for the selectors.

As for the selections, there's not much wrong with them, except for a few issues. For instance, RP Singh isn't very effective in Tests, and should stay a change bowler in ODI's, and Munaf should surely have been picked in place of him.

The selection of the opener is doubtful, and repeated chopping and changing of openers is not going to help matters at all. It's bad enough these openers only play Tests, when they're good enough to make an Indian XI. Then they get dropped a short while later because they "don't perform". The inconsistent middle-order stays untouched. And then we wonder why they don't win Test series consistently. Besides, the two middle-order extras picked haven't done anything to make the squad ahead of Gambhir, let alone the playing XI.

No, please! Not another Parthiv Patel! Leggie Piyush Chawla has done well in the U-19 matches, but not much else. That's a flimsy excuse to get him ahead of seasoned professionals who have been leading the wicket charts in the domestic scene for years. He may be young and promising, but there are better alternatives to picking him for a Test side only to keep him on the bench. He's not even remotely likely to make the XI, so it's as good as carrying a player less. Hold on, there's India A, there is Central Zone, there's even Board President's XI, so why rush him into the side so early?

Sreesanth deserves a place in the team, and in the playing XI, but he must put his aggression to good use, as in the final ODI in Pakistan. While Irfan swings it early on, he can bowl bouncers and a few yorkers as well, and push the batsmen on the back foot. Likewise VR Singh, whose aggression and power alone should get him into the team. Both will go for more than a few runs, but they'll also get a burst of wickets not expected from the seam/swing bowlers who have played for India in the last five years. The selectors may havfe made mistakes even now, but they should be complimented for this move.

RP Singh hasn't fared so poorly against Pakistan in the tests that he should've been dropped so quickly, he did after all pick up an MOM award. Granted, I wanted to see Munaf in the side as well, but it's good enough that Agarkar and Zaheer have been banished.

There hasn't been such a vast difference between Jaffer and Gambhir of late, but given Gambhir's tendency to waste starts and not make big ones, this might be a good wake-up call. Jaffer is also a man-in-form and one would think he'll toil hard for his runs as he's trying to cement his place in the squad, as opposed to Gambhir who knows that the management has confidence in him and will bring him back as soon as he deserves it. We're already seeing Gambhir score a ton here, this looks like a healthy competition between our openers.

Kaif showed his poor form in the one-dayers but maybe the selectors are trying to give him this platform to help him regain his form with the bat because they consider him an integral part of the future. Same goes for Raina, who I think will turn out to be a great player for India. We also needed a standout fielder at cover to replace Yuvraj, so that might have played a role in the selection.

Sreesanth and VR Singh need to attack with all the pace, bounce, swing and seam they can find. They will have more freedom in test matches as runs aren't as vital, so they must utilize the aggression fully. As for Chawla, he is the future and I think it's a good move to get him settled in the dressing room. There is a difference between grooming a player and throwing him into the deep end when he isn't ready. Besides, some players can handle the early starts, ie Tendulkar, some can't, ie Patel. Chawla should turn out more like the former and I think the management is handling him well.

 

[adharcric]

It's remarkable how Uttar Pradesh has emerged in the past few years, they're producing talented cricketers left and right. Mohammad Kaif ... RP Singh ... Suresh Raina ... Piyush Chawla ... Pravin Kumar?

 

[Arjun]

It's remarkable how Uttar Pradesh has emerged in the past few years, they're producing talented cricketers left and right. Mohammad Kaif ... RP Singh ... Suresh Raina ... Piyush Chawla ... Pravin Kumar?

Not surprising, when they've just won the Ranji Trophy after sharing the Ranji ODI series with TN last year. The one good thing about Uttar Pradesh players is that even if they're not as skilled as their counterparts in Mumbai or TN or Delhi, they do the simple things right and as a team, it helps a lot. Talk about those saves they make by sprinting several yards near the boundary to save a few runs. Talk about extraordinary catches at point or cover. Talk about direct hits. Talk about singles pinched at will. They do what's needed at the right time. Not to mention, as a unit, they combine well, and this is what serves as an advangage to teams from less urban areas in India, while skills of the players from metros are often superior.

 

[TT Boy]

Sky Sports will show the series, and have a new four year deal with BCCI

Deal includes India's home series against Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa through to 2009.

Also Liam Plunkett is unable to bowl for England he is still fielding (no more subs left) but can’t bowl.

 

[Arjun]

Now I can watch the match. The cable-op is showing DD Sport, and the coverage is substantially better, but being DD, still a little fuzzy.

This is what pace can do. Flintoff bowled a rising delivery, which Badrinath tried to keep down, only to chop it on the stumps. Now the ball is reverse-swinging, and the bowlers are getting good bounce to stifle the batsmen. Extra bounce is making things tough for the pair of Dinesh Karthik and Venugopal, who's got 18 so far.

Pace has been in the high 130's for Flintoff, and in the 120's for Hoggard. Yet that's not a concern. Why keep complaining about Irfan's lack of pace? That said, he's capable of bowling faster than that.

Now Karthik freed his arms and slashed one Flintoff delivery over point to get off the mark with a four.

 

[Arjun]

Looks like the action will have to wait....Powar and Munaf are at eight and nine and they may come after a little longer than expected.

Flintoff causing problems for Karthik....first a leg-before truned down (very close to being given out) and then an edge to slips that didn't carry, and as I type, yet another leg-before! Going by Saba Karim's ocomments, he's lucky to be there, helped by a rookie umpire, while veteran Jaiprakash would have handled these differently.

Lots of singles being taken by this pair. The batting order is a little strange....VR Singh ahead of Munaf? Singh is a slogger and nothing more....and a very unsteady one at that. Munaf, on the other hand, is a lot more steady. Not to mention, he's got one score over 50.

Venugopal narrowly missed geting out, and got a few runs as well. Hoggard and Flintoff are making the ball talk, and how.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Pace has been in the high 130's for Flintoff, and in the 120's for Hoggard. Yet that's not a concern. Why keep complaining about Irfan's lack of pace? That said, he's capable of bowling faster than that..

When Flintoff actually tries he gets up at 92-93mph - don't know what that is in kph, but I'd bet he's only bowling at around 70-80% today.

 

[Arjun]

Harmison's bowling WIDE....and one got swatted over point by Karthik. Not to mention, he's not bowling very fast. Now they're discussing keepers, and they said that Karthik's done well, and that when his keeping is unnoticed, it's a good thing. Even as I type, Karthik's taken a liking to Harmison, edging one to vacant third-man.

 

[Arjun]

A Harmison deliver (132) angled into Venugopal, and he drove, edging to Flintoff at first slip. QUESTION: Given how many catches are dropped at slips, how about having Irfan or Piyush Chawla in those positions, at least in ODI's?

Now, Charu Sharma thinks the PResident's XI should declare after a wicket falls, but ideally, they should send in Munaf and smash the bowlers around....they've got batting till nine, and VR Singh can score a few too.

Powar smashed a wide by Harmison to four, then smashed one straight to him, then Harmison shot the ball straight to the stumps. Harmison bowled a high one at Karthik, who edged to Trescothick, taking a high catch. His edgy stay ended. YIKE!!! Slog-happy VR Singh has been promoted!

 

[Jono]

LOL @ Gambhir tonning up. Good to see, but is a little funny.

Whilst I like Raina and see him as a future talent (Rao too from the little I've seen of him), maybe they selected too many middle order players in the squad. Gambhir being in there would have made sense, but its a small matter really since by all accounts Jaffer played well in his 48 and deserves the opportunity.

Either way the people who have been chosen in the squad but probably won't get a game unless something goes terribly wrong (Raina and Chawla) are more than likely just there to give them confidence and have them adjust to the atmosphere of Indian test cricket. I mean really, that squad is bigger than most squads for a team playing at home. Its clear what they're trying to do.

 

[Jono]

Deal includes India's home series against Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa through to 2009.

Wow, that's awesome.

 

[Arjun]

WHOOH!!! Powerman top-edged a fast Harmison bouncer for four!!!

That's 12 off the Harmison over. VR Singh is now batting like Harmison. Charu is complaining about the absence of the declaration since he thinks the bowlers won't get a chance.. I don't agree to that too much. As Ajay Jadeja said, this may be a plan to tire out the England bowlers. Moreover, there are only four bowlers in the Board team, and they're likely to get tired a lot more than England's six-pack. Besides, Munaf can bat (not that VR Singh can) and he deserves to bat higher up.

Powar slashed one over slips and got away with it, scoring four. He then gave a few tips to VR Singh, who hit two to the fence off Flintoff. Now an inside edge gets a boundary, third in a row!

 

[PY]

Some serious late-order slogging going on here.