***Official*** India in Pakistan

[Jungle Jumbo]

Tests: 1-1
ODIs: 3-2 India

IMO Depth of Indian ODI SQuad is far greater than Pakistanis. Look at England/Pakistan Tests, no-one but Hasan Raza or Asim Kamal has been talked about to replace Younis Khan and I don't know of too many other Pakistani batsmen who havn't already played (failed) at international level.

Where did Bazid Khan go? He looked a handy middle order batsman.

The ODIs are too unpredictable, especially when you add the Afridi factor, and he could be a big threat in the Tests with bat and ball.

Mohammad Asif should be recalled as well IMO.

My Test Teams

Pakistan

1. Salman Butt
2. Shoaib Malik (Worth persisting with, and even better if he sorts out his action)
3. Younis Khan
4. Yousuf Youhana
5. Inzamam
6. Shahid Afridi
7. Kamran Akmal
8. Naved ul Hasan
9. Shoaib Ahktar
10. Mohammad Asif
11. Danish Kaneria

India

1. Sehwag
2. Gambhir
3. Dravid
4. Tendulkar
5. Laxman
6. Yuvraj/Kaif
7. Dhoni
8. Pathan
9. Kumble
10. Harbhajan
11. Zaheer

 

[Dasa]

This series is too hard to call...but I'll say 1-1. I don't get where some people are getting the idea that the Indian batting line-up is collectively out of form?? They've not played any Tests in a while...and haven't done terribly in the recent past in ODIs barring the last ODI against South Africa.

 

[aussie]

Tests: 1-1
ODIs: 3-2 India

IMO Depth of Indian ODI SQuad is far greater than Pakistanis. Look at England/Pakistan Tests, no-one but Hasan Raza or Asim Kamal has been talked about to replace Younis Khan and I don't know of too many other Pakistani batsmen who havn't already played (failed) at international level.

Where did Bazid Khan go? He looked a handy middle order batsman.

The ODIs are too unpredictable, especially when you add the Afridi factor, and he could be a big threat in the Tests with bat and ball.

Mohammad Asif should be recalled as well IMO.

My Test Teams

Pakistan

1. Salman Butt
2. Shoaib Malik (Worth persisting with, and even better if he sorts out his action)
3. Younis Khan
4. Yousuf Youhana
5. Inzamam
6. Shahid Afridi
7. Kamran Akmal
8. Naved ul Hasan
9. Shoaib Ahktar
10. Mohammad Asif
11. Danish Kaneria

Razzaq once fit which he should be by then will play, plus their seems to be a big call for Sani to be dropped i disagree he definately can get better & if anyone is going to replace him why go for Asif when their is Gul & Shabbir (once he gets his action cleared)

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Razzaq once fit which he should be by then will play, plus their seems to be a big call for Sani to be dropped i disagree he definately can get better & if anyone is going to replace him why go for Asif when their is Gul & Shabbir (once he gets his action cleared)

Yeh would include Razzaq, forgot about him!
I disagree with you over Shabbir though, Naved-ul-Hasan seems to fill the same bowling role as Shabbir.

Gul - worth a try. Not seem too much of him so can't really comment. From what I hear he seems to be a Balaji type bowler (fastish-medium, swings it a bit)?

 

[Jono]

This series is too hard to call...but I'll say 1-1. I don't get where some people are getting the idea that the Indian batting line-up is collectively out of form?? They've not played any Tests in a while...and haven't done terribly in the recent past in ODIs barring the last ODI against South Africa.

Sehwag can get 5 single digit scores in ODI cricket, and it still won't affect his test form. Add to that he thrives on facing the Pakistan attack. I mean he averages 98.20 against them in 6 tests including 3 centuries. Doubting India's batting line-up before the series claiming they are out of form (Who is out of form?) would be silly.

 

[mofo123]

While playing in their home country against India, Pak team are under extreme pressure, as such i don't think they perform to their level best.

Besides i don't think even their best is good enough to beat India in test matches.A 2-1 result to India seems to be a realistic one, but yes a 3-0 would be like a dream

shut up u loser, utter balls and i dont mean cricket ones either....it will b close pak probably win both tho:P

 

[adharcric]

India

1. Sehwag
2. Gambhir
3. Dravid
4. Tendulkar
5. Laxman
6. Yuvraj/Kaif
7. Dhoni
8. Pathan
9. Kumble
10. Harbhajan
11. Zaheer

Yes, that's probably what it should be, and it will be a very solid team if Zaheer remains in good form. But Ganguly might occupy the role of 6th batsman instead of Kaif/Yuvraj, depending on how he does against Sri Lanka.

 

[Mecnun]

Too close to call between these two so I will sit on the fence and go for a 1-1 in tests. Pak to take the ODi's.

This must be the first time I am not all that excited about a Pak v India..which is odd, We should play every three years, that would be cool and exciting.

 

[Arjun]

This series is a little too volatile to predict, but this should be the Indian Test side

• Sehwag
• Gambhir
• Dravid (C)
• Tendulkar
• Laxman
• JP Yadav(RM)
• Dhoni (WK)
• Irfan (LFM?)
• Harbhajan (OB)
• Kumble (LBG)
• RP Singh (LFM)
• RESERVE: Powar (OB)
• RESERVE: Sreesanth (RFM)
• RESERVE: Yuvraj
• RESERVE: Dheeraj Jadhav

The current Pakistani Test side is good enough as it is, with Afridi (when not banned) and Kaneria as options.

 

[Arjun]

Everyone is talking of having Yuvraj or Kaif in the Test squad, but why not Joginder Sharma? He too can play a long innings and has good shot-selection, and decent power (little more than Kaif, but otherwise very similar), and more importantly, he's also a competent swing bowler– a good new-ball partner for Irfan– also faster than JP Yadav (though JP is a harder hitter of the ball). He's also very good on the field. Worth a try, when the rest of the squad almost picks itself.

 

[aussie]

This series is a little too volatile to predict, but this should be the Indian Test side

• Sehwag
• Gambhir
• Dravid (C)
• Tendulkar
• Laxman
• JP Yadav(RM)
• Dhoni (WK)
• Irfan (LFM?)
• Harbhajan (OB)
• Kumble (LBG)
• RP Singh (LFM)
• RESERVE: Powar (OB)
• RESERVE: Sreesanth (RFM)
• RESERVE: Yuvraj
• RESERVE: Dheeraj Jadhav

The current Pakistani Test side is good enough as it is, with Afridi (when not banned) and Kaneria as options.

JP Yadav hmm not too sure about him in a test side & why have Singh ahead of Khan, Agarkar or Nehra?

 

[Jono]

Arjun has this obsession with Yadav, which even stretches to the lengths that he should be in the test team. *shrugs*

 

[adharcric]

There is no way JP Yadav should or ever will be considered for a spot in the test team. That #6 spot already has enough competition with Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif in place. For me, Yadav can serve one purpose quite well for India against world-class batsmen (not domestic batsmen who he gets wickets against), and that is to bowl an economical spell as the 5th bowler in one-day matches. Then, he can contribute perhaps with the bat, but it won't compare with what a Ganguly, Yuvraj or Kaif can do. Finally, he doesn't really add a huge wicket-taking option to the bowling attack, but rather helps cover up a huge weakness in the bowling attack (5th bowler) in one-dayers. Please keep him out of the test equation.

 

[Arjun]

There is no way JP Yadav should or ever will be considered for a spot in the test team. That #6 spot already has enough competition with Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif in place. For me, Yadav can serve one purpose quite well for India against world-class batsmen (not domestic batsmen who he gets wickets against), and that is to bowl an economical spell as the 5th bowler in one-day matches. Then, he can contribute perhaps with the bat, but it won't compare with what a Ganguly, Yuvraj or Kaif can do. Finally, he doesn't really add a huge wicket-taking option to the bowling attack, but rather helps cover up a huge weakness in the bowling attack (5th bowler) in one-dayers. Please keep him out of the test equation.

Can Ganguly, Yuvraj and Kaif even bowl half as much as the frontline bowlers? The team management doesn't think so. Can Irfan handle the number 6/7 position? Maybe, but the team management thinks otherwise. Reason enough to pick JP Yadav.

Not every batsman in the Indian side is as good as Tendulkar or Dravid. Given JP's bowling skills, his batting adds value to his selection- and how. He's a hard hitter of the ball, and that can come useful for these rapid run-a-ball partnerships to stretch a total built by the top five. Now look at a combination of Yadav, Dhoni and Irfan– that's worth more than a few runs, and they add striking power to the batting side.

He's a strike bowler for his team, not just some economical line-and-length stereotype. He's a swing bowler who's been effective on the first day of a match, with a new ball. If you play him the same way as you would play Zaheer, Nehra or Agarkar (if Agarkar can make a Test side, why can't Yadav?), he'd perform just as well as them. Most importantly, if Ganguly makes it to the team as a bowler (after he just started bowling long spells to return to the team), why can't Yadav? When he's been doing this for years? What did you say? Lacks pace? Name ONE Indian pacer who can bowl at serious pace.

If you want to see the Indian team winning more tournaments, especially away from India, you have to have at least one all-rounder in the team- and JP Yadav fits the bill best.

 

[Arjun]

Oh brother....you seem to react to my idea like I've suggested dropping Tendulkar or Dravid. Do you think the Indian team will lose if JP Yadav is picked? What's the problem with him making a Test side? After all, the other ten players pick themselves, so there's no reason why they can't open the eleventh. Especially when the four best bowlers are two seamers and two spinners.

 

[aussie]

you argue your case well arjun but i really doubt whether yadav will ever play test cricket for India..

 

[nightprowler10]

I think beating India will be harder than beating England was. Their seamers are of no worry. Even though they are better suited for these conditions, they are no match for England's pace attack. My worries lie within India's spin attack and their batsmen's reliability compared to England's. We've all seen what Kumble can do against Pakistan, and their batsmen get a new life against us, as do the Pakistanis. It will be a closely contested test series, and maybe even a closely contested ODI series considering India's recent form against Sri Lanka and South Africa.

 

[adharcric]

Can Ganguly, Yuvraj and Kaif even bowl half as much as the frontline bowlers? The team management doesn't think so. Can Irfan handle the number 6/7 position? Maybe, but the team management thinks otherwise. Reason enough to pick JP Yadav.

Not every batsman in the Indian side is as good as Tendulkar or Dravid. Given JP's bowling skills, his batting adds value to his selection- and how. He's a hard hitter of the ball, and that can come useful for these rapid run-a-ball partnerships to stretch a total built by the top five. Now look at a combination of Yadav, Dhoni and Irfan– that's worth more than a few runs, and they add striking power to the batting side.

He's a strike bowler for his team, not just some economical line-and-length stereotype. He's a swing bowler who's been effective on the first day of a match, with a new ball. If you play him the same way as you would play Zaheer, Nehra or Agarkar (if Agarkar can make a Test side, why can't Yadav?), he'd perform just as well as them. Most importantly, if Ganguly makes it to the team as a bowler (after he just started bowling long spells to return to the team), why can't Yadav? When he's been doing this for years? What did you say? Lacks pace? Name ONE Indian pacer who can bowl at serious pace.

If you want to see the Indian team winning more tournaments, especially away from India, you have to have at least one all-rounder in the team- and JP Yadav fits the bill best.

right on with all those points. my main point is that yadav is special because he can be a good fifth bowler in one-day cricket, but in test cricket the fifth bowler isnt as essential because overs are unlimited. that's why i think we're better served playing a 6th specialist batsman in tests. in odis, jp yadav or the supersub rule saves us.

 

[Xuhaib]

This seems to be the most least anticapated of all Indo-Pak series that have taken place but i have a sneaky suspicion this may turn out to be most exciting considering both teams are so evenly matched now.

 

[adharcric]

This seems to be the most least anticapated of all Indo-Pak series that have taken place but i have a sneaky suspicion this may turn out to be most exciting considering both teams are so evenly matched now.

It should be highly anticipated because it is a rare occasion on which both teams are playing solid cricket. India have thrashed Sri Lanka and drawn against South Africa, and Pakistan have defeated England. India and Pakistan, two nations with immense cricketing talent, might finally be playing to their potential.