honestbharani
Whatever it takes!!!
Karthik is in better batting form but we dunno if he has got back to his old ways as a keeper yet...
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***Official England in India***
- Thread starter George.Hinton
- Start date
masterblaster
International Captain
There's some decent wicket keeper options available in India if Dhoni needs a rest.
Of course Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel should be the front runners and deservedly so. However players like Yogesh Takawale, Pinal Shah and Wriddhiman Saha are also decent wicket keepers at the domestic level.
Of course Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel should be the front runners and deservedly so. However players like Yogesh Takawale, Pinal Shah and Wriddhiman Saha are also decent wicket keepers at the domestic level.
irfan
State Captain
Yea wouldn't mind Saha given a chance
kingkallis
International Coach
Sehwag is like Gibbs, when they play - they score BIG and QUICK!
Swapping 4 players is a bit radical but this is a competetive team, especially on the batting (where we are waiting for both Tendulkar and Dhoni to cut loose any time now).
How is Irfan Pathan bowling recently? India's been pretty lucky in having Zaheer, Ishant and Munaf all available at the same time, and especially with Zaheer - need to give him a break so he can be fit for the tests. Given that the other Pathan seems quite average with the ball,
the bowling looks a little vulnerable. (So IK Pathan, Ojha, Harbhajan, Ishant, Munaf may be likely as well).
Arjun
Cricketer Of The Year
That team will be riding its luck with Kohli opening the innings. No doubt the England attack is a little off-colour, but Kohli isn't an ideal top order batsman, and as some experts have said elsewhere, he'll get gobbled up by bowlers with decent pace and swing.
Irfan has been bowling well in every Ranji innings bar the last one, where that infamous 'Target Sanjay Bangar' incident happened. However, he's been leading that attack, and he won't get that chance here. He's often struggled when he's called on to bowl first-change, so it remains to be seen how he performs now. That's a regular problem with nearly all Indian pacers who've played lately- all are excellent with the new ball but dreadful once the ball gets old.
The other Pathan doesn't even get a fair try with the ball. He's taken off after one or two overs and never brought back. He'd do very well as a limited-overs spinner, given a decent field and a safe time to get in, as well as all those overs, but inexplicably, Dhoni has turned to part-time rubbish to fill in for his overs. I don't buy the line that he's looked weaker than Yuvraj- there have been several overs Yuvraj has bowled that are worse than Yusuf's seven overs till date, and the Bangalore incident shows him up. I'd back Yusuf as a regular bowler, because there's nothing else to choose from here. When you have Yuvraj, Sehwag, Sharma and Raina as your other bowling options, you're safer with Yusuf.
An ideal XI on those counts would have a bowling attack of Irfan, Ishant, Munaf, Yusuf and Ojha. Let's leave part-timers out of this one. The top six may stay the same, although one of the openers may sit out for Tendulkar, and come back fresher for the Tests. The bench players may actually be more active and play a lot harder, given their chance, and the Indians should capitalise on that to crush the English to a clean sweep of the series.
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silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
Ishant should be wrapped in cellophane and kept away from all physical activities until a Test match rolls around.
Dhoni has the biggest cojones in the international cricketing captaincy business when it comes to backing upcoming bowlers. That said, India's got a very good selection of 'rubbish' part time slow bowlers (Sehwag, Yuvraj, Sachin), which Dhoni or the 5th bowler cant be blind to.
Langeveldt
Soutie
Isn't Goswami a woman?
silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
Yea, there are some decent backups at wicketkeeper. Dhoni needs to focus on Tests. Obviously that's not realistic in this day and age, but one can hope 
.
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irfan
State Captain
This. Should have wrapped his hair as well IMO.
irfan
State Captain
Shreevats Goswami is an Indian U-19 male wicketkeeper whereas who you're presumably thinking of is Jhulan Goswami who is the strike bowler in the Indian Women's cricket team.
Jono
Virat Kohli (c)
They need to protect him in smart ways. Fast bowlers work on momentum and rhythm, so I wouldn't mind him playing the last ODI. Same with Zaheer.
Rest them for the next two though.
Precambrian
Banned
Good news. If only Cook doesnt prove to be a bigger liab than bell when it comes to scoring fast.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
I'd go the other way TBH. Harmison replacing Anderson was a must, Bell still averages nearly 35 as an opener and this is just more needless overcomplication with players dropped without failing conclusively.
Dhoni wins the toss and will field.
Intreguingly, India elect to rest Gambhir and Munaf Patel, not the two I'd have expected.
Dhoni wins the toss and will field.
Intreguingly, India elect to rest Gambhir and Munaf Patel, not the two I'd have expected.
Precambrian
Banned
Both are good things. Instead of resting everybody at a go.
Zaheer and Ishant will be rested for the last 2 ODIs I believe. They are first choice seamers for England tests, so makes sense they coming fresh then, without much momentum lost.