***Official*** India in Australia 2014-5

[Adders]

Heard a rumour the India series will be on Gem,clash with already programmed viewing.

Good news if so.........but does that mean the anti-siphoning laws are being relaxed or now defunct? Great so long as we don't lose our cricket from fta TV in time.

 

[3703]

I think when the tragic events of the summer had first unfolded, anyone imagining the test series going on was thinking how the hell were Australia going to get up for this. I know I bloody was. But Clarkey's speech was a bit of a rallying cry and captured the progression of the grieving process. At some stage the wheel turns from grief to that desire to crack in and do something for your mate. They'll know he would've wanted them to play the game, and they'd know he would want them to play it aggressively, bouncers and all. Especially bouncers. At some stage the wheel will turn from grief to a mixture of grief and passion, and they will want nothing but to uphold the values he held as a mate who stood beside them.

This is going to be an emotional as all hell summer.

 

[3703]

Good news if so.........but does that mean the anti-siphoning laws are being relaxed or now defunct? Great so long as we don't lose our cricket from fta TV in time.

God I hope so. Ridiculous state of affairs. For a country that loves its sport so much, it's obscene to think it isn't shown in the highest commonly available standard.

 

[brockley]

Ah just kidding ,Thought i'd so some fishing before the series starts.

 

[Riggins]

**** it's annoying they don't show it in HD though.

 

[dermo]

Focus turns to Test, but Phillip Hughes will remain in our thoughts

 

[Fuller Pilch]

I think when the tragic events of the summer had first unfolded, anyone imagining the test series going on was thinking how the hell were Australia going to get up for this. I know I bloody was. But Clarkey's speech was a bit of a rallying cry and captured the progression of the grieving process. At some stage the wheel turns from grief to that desire to crack in and do something for your mate. They'll know he would've wanted them to play the game, and they'd know he would want them to play it aggressively, bouncers and all. Especially bouncers. At some stage the wheel will turn from grief to a mixture of grief and passion, and they will want nothing but to uphold the values he held as a mate who stood beside them.

This is going to be an emotional as all hell summer.

I think it will be a bit like the Crusaders' 2011 Super rugby season after the Chch eqs (emotionally I mean - obv without the travel issues)

 

[Red]

Shaun Marsh added to Aust squad which probably indicates Clarke won't play surely?

 

[Cevno]

Varun Aaron, Karn Sharma and Mohammad Shammi with 4,3,2 wickets in the tour match. hmmm..

 

[Justo]

Shaun Marsh added to Aust squad which probably indicates Clarke won't play surely?

He's been called up as cover is my understanding. Mostly for Clarke if he doesn't pull through but also in case one of the batsmen need some more time after what happened to Hughes.

 

[weldone]

Karn Sharma should play the first test after this, because Ashwin's last Australia tour was pathetic.

Ishant and Umesh went wicketless and Aaron got 4 - now that's interesting.

One pain area is Dhawan's failure in both practice matches. Ideally Rahul could replace him if he got a chance in a practice match (should've been this one) and utilized that opportunity, but now that won't happen.

 

[Riggins]

Shaun Marsh added to Aust squad which probably indicates Clarke won't play surely?

I feel like Clarke could rip the hamstring off the bone and he'd still play.

 

[3703]

Burns? Ferguson? Would've thought the book was closed on Marsh. Kid has just never put it together despite prodigious talent.

 

[dermo]

nah marsh should be there, in SA he got a ton, then a pair then got injured. since coming back from that he's scored 2 shield tons out of 3 games plus another ton playing for the under 23s, this time he's legitimately earned his chance

 

[Tangles]

Plus the famous last name which will get him more chances than anyone else. I'd have stamped his passport done already.

 

[Spark]

He's cover purely for Clarke, right? Not as a possibility of swapping one Marsh for another?

 

[OverratedSanity]

The second opening slot is a huge worry for us. Dhawan just doesn't have the back foot game to succeed in such conditions and he's going to get found out. It's a huge worry, because an early dismissal makes Pujara's job harder, who himself is coming off a horrible couple of tours, and this trickles down the whole lineup. It just highlights how important Dravid was for us overseas... Sehwag would usually fall early and even if Dravid didn't always get a big score, he'd make sure to consume a considerable number of deliveries to just slow the game down and make Tendulkar and VVS's jobs easier. If Pujara is unable to play the role of the collapse-stopper, we'll get destroyed.

On the other hand, nice to see the pacers do decently. Still think we should go with Ishant, Umesh, Bhuvi and Ashwin as our attack. Weirdly, it's the supposed backup bowlers(Shami, Aaron, Karn) who've done better in the tour matches, but playing them , especially Karn would be a mistake imo. Give those 4 guys I named the chance to get smashed first.

 

[weldone]

I have a feeling that if Kohli is captain, he and Shastri will go with Bhuvi, Shami and Aaron as the 3 pacers in the first test.

Ishant will play if Dhoni is captaining.

Also, Shastri seems to be a Raina-supporter. And I don't like the fact that Raina is batting ahead of Rohit in the lineup in the practice matches...

On the opening question, it's a pity that Rahul didn't play one of the 2 practice matches.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I have a feeling that if Kohli is captain, he and Shastri will go with Bhuvi, Shami and Aaron as the 3 pacers in the first test.

Ishant will play if Dhoni is captaining.

Also, Shastri seems to be a Raina-supporter. And I don't like the fact that Raina is batting ahead of Rohit in the lineup in the practice matches...

On the opening question, it's a pity that Rahul didn't play one of the 2 practice matches.

He batted ahead of Raina in the first game. I'm really, really worried Shastri will pick Raina over Rohit though. Sharma's test career has been completely ****ed over by Raina and Yuvraj getting repeated undeserved chances, while he kept playing ODIs, when it should've been the other way round. The poor guy has been playing the wrong format for 6 years and it's a damn shame. He's already 28

 

[weldone]

I don't understand what Shastri sees in Raina's test match batting outside SC - Shastri himself was a better batsman with 10 times better resolve and determination than Raina

And Raina batted at no. 6 in the first tour match too surely...Was it Rahane who batted 7 then? (AFAIR it was Rohit)