***Official*** India in Pakistan

[adharcric]

If he were given a chance to do such a job it'd help.

6 overs in the first innings out of 63.2, and so far 2 out of 63.1 in the second!

He's being used almost as much as Symonds for Australia, difference is, he's a better batsman than Symonds!

He hasn't done the job in the opportunities that he has gotten. That's probably why he's not been given the ball in this match. Breaking the big partnership is great, but the reason that partnership builds up is also because bowlers aren't effective. So the overall average/record is what really matters.

 

[Run like Inzy]

I think the series will be shown on ARY digital in the UK but i m not sure

 

[no1_gangsta_786]

Thanks Run like Inzy......i have seen the advert on ARY digital but am not 100% sure if they will because they advertised the Pakistan v England series for them to only show highlights.

 

[marc71178]

Breaking the big partnership is great, but the reason that partnership builds up is also because bowlers aren't effective.

So how can that be blamed on him when he didn't really bowl in it?!

 

[adharcric]

i'm just refuting that idea of simply looking at who broke the big partnership. if you give up a 100 runs at the beginning of the match and go wicketless, and later break a partnership, you've still done something wrong.

 

[Shahid_afridi]

Thanks Run like Inzy......i have seen the advert on ARY digital but am not 100% sure if they will because they advertised the Pakistan v England series for them to only show highlights.

they actually did show the pakistan vs england series!i watched the whole tour live on ary digital uk/europe!!!!they already got 3 different commercials fo the pak vs ind series!

 

[no1_gangsta_786]

Im talking about ARY Digital UK.

 

[Run like Inzy]

i m pretty sure they showed the current series in the UK

 

[Arjun]

Agarkar has made things a bit tougher with his blistering 48-run cameo against Sri Lanka yesterday. Granted he hasn't fulfilled his primary role in the team - that of a strike bowler - you still get the feeling that the selectors will consider this vital contribution when naming the squad for Pakistan. In the Dravid-Chappell era (vs zim, vs sl), Pathan has averaged nearly 15 with the ball, while Kumble has averaged in the low 20s and Harbhajan Singh nearly 25. Agarkar, meanwhile, has a dreadful average in the high 50s. He is not particularly young (28?) and he doesn't carry the significant 'experience' factor which one would associate with the likes of Tendulkar, Kumble, Dravid or Ganguly.

So what if he scored 48? Harbhajan scored 40, while Kumble, who supposedly can't hold a bat, scored 29. Both Bhajji and Kumble are proven strike bowlers, unlike Agarkar. That was just a bit of a contribution, and not substantial at all. In fact, even VR Singh would do just as well, and he's a lot more powerful than Agarkar– the looks say it all. He shouldn't make a Test side, and he's not a great ODI bowler either– he averaged 57 in the series against SA. The team needs someone more powerful. Fully agree about the experience factor, but that argument also counts when you're talking ODI's. Maybe we're on the same side of the fence this time.

While Nehra and Balaji seem to have lost their way with fitness issues at the moment, Zaheer Khan has been in roaring form in the domestic circuit recently.

This is open for debate.

FOR: Extra pace, aggression, attack power, that yorker from out of nowhere.
AGAINST: Lack of consistency, fitness worries.

It's your choice. As for Nehra and Balaji, what's happened to them is a mystery, since it's not being discussed. In fact, an article was printed in the Times Of India– "Where is Ashish Nehra?"

The selectors seem to be particularly interested in the Punjabi paceman VRV Singh, and two others to keep an eye on are all-rounder Joginder Sharma and another Punjab bowler who was on the national scene some time back, Gagandeep Singh.

Joginder Sharma should play as a fifth bowler in Tests, though the ODI recall can wait. VR Singh should be included in both Tests and ODI's, purely for pace and power. Can't say much about Gagandeep, he's in good form, but he's just another swing bowler– and he's had his problems in ODI's. Batting form of the top batsmen is a non-issue. The selection of a pacer and an all-rounder is a greater concern. That's why VR Singh and Joginder Sharma (in Tests, though JP Yadav can play in ODI's) should be considered when the full squad is drafted.

 

[deeps]

Agarkar, whilst expensive, is a good wicket taker. His strike rate must be quiet impressive. He can be expensive, which is why i don't think he should play in the ODI's, but for test cricket, he is good.

For many years, Waqar and Wasim were expensive, but took wickets. Alot of strike bowlers are expensive, that's the price you got to pay. If he could get his batting up to a better level, he could be a very handy test player

 

[no1_gangsta_786]

i m pretty sure they showed the current series in the UK

The England/Pakistan series was shown on SKY sports and not ARY digital

 

[Run like Inzy]

oh right sorry - just that having lived there before ARY always use to show the Pakistan games. They had the rights to every game shown by Ten Sports or sumthin. Anyways then I guess they won't be showing India Pakistan it will probably be Sky Sports aswell.

 

[SJS]

....Kumble, who supposedly can't hold a bat.......

Now where did you get THAT idea !!

Kumble has SIX first class centuries. Its a bit tough to do that without getting some kind of a hold on the bat

 

[Jono]

Yeah I've never heard anyone say Kumble can't hold a bat. =-/

 

[adharcric]

Agarkar, whilst expensive, is a good wicket taker. His strike rate must be quiet impressive. He can be expensive, which is why i don't think he should play in the ODI's, but for test cricket, he is good.

For many years, Waqar and Wasim were expensive, but took wickets. Alot of strike bowlers are expensive, that's the price you got to pay. If he could get his batting up to a better level, he could be a very handy test player

A strike bowler doesn't have a 50ish test average. Please don't compare Wasim and Waqar to Agarkar, they were much more consistent wicket-takers and didn't just contribute random 5-wicket hauls.

 

[aussie]

For the Indian team, the batting is not much of a worry– despite Gambhir's struggles (also Sehwag's) so far– and the reserves are also competent. The main concern will be the pace bowling. You can't expect Kumble and Harbhajan to run through teams consistently, so pacers have to contribute more often. Irfan can get good swing and on a good day even some extra pace, but he can't make much of an impact alone. He needs support, and one pacer isn't enough– and having Agarkar for support is as good as not having any. RP Singh can bowl at decent pace, but his main strength is the movement he gets off the pitch. VR Singh is an ideal choice as a power player, and is a lot faster than any of the pacers picked for India so far. A chance of Zaheer's return to the Test side will depend on form, fielding and fitness. Balaji has had success against Pakistan, having taken 5 wickets in Mohali in early 2005, but the one bowler who has to play in the XI is Joginder Sharma.

He's in very good form in domestic matches and can provide very good support to Irfan and his strike partner. He can also score more than a few runs- the runs he scores along with Irfan will be as valuable as those scored by a sixth specialist batsman. He's an outswing bowler like Balaji and bats like Kaif. He should be in the Indian side, if not for this series, at least for the one against England.

what about Nehra?

 

[aussie]

I'd try opening with either Asim or Younis to be honest. They are clearly better candidates for this position than Shoaib Malik.

Even Yasir Hameed...

 

[Deja moo]

what about Nehra?

You mean the guy who left the team on the Zimbabwe tour because he had to fly to SA to get his injury attended to, but instead left for the UK on a holiday ? The guy who, according to his team mates, prefers avoiding tests simply because they pay less per days work compared to ODIs ? I dont think he'll be back for quite a while .

 

[adharcric]

So the team for the Pakistan tour has been selected, and there is certainly an element of surprise.

Rahul Dravid (c), Virender Sehwag (vc), Gautam Gambhir, Wasim Jaffer, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni (wk), Parthiv Patel (wk), Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh

Gautam Gambhir ~ Although his exclusion might've indicated the selectors' newfound ruthlessnes (which is good), I'm glad for Gambhir as his poor play was coupled with some poor luck against Sri Lanka, and I'm sure he's got the talent to succeed in the Test arena. Let's hope he rediscovers his form against Akhtar and co.

Wasim Jaffer ~ The selectors will most likely opt for Gambhir for the 1st test and if he fails, move on to Jaffer. Although I'd like to see Jaffer's batting on display, let's hope it doesn't get to that point too soon.

Sourav Ganguly ~ Well, it wasn't too surprising considering the recent politics, Pawar's statements and the rage across the nation. He sure as hell isn't finding a place in the middle-order, so let's see if the management pulls a shocker and sends him in to open with Sehwag. First of all, that'd be simply ******** with two other openers in the squad ... but then again, lots of unthinkable **** happens when politics and cricket mix up in India. Yet opening might be the true do-or-die for Ganguly: if he survives the test of the PAK pace attack, he deserves his spot ... but if he gets destroyed by Akhtar, Naved and Sami, no Kolkatan, no Pawar and no parliament official will be able to defend his role in the team. I hope Ganguly plays fabulously or fails miserably (although this could hurt the team cause), so we can get this pro-dada nation-wide disease out of the way and focus on cricket.

Parthiv Patel ~ This came out of nowhere, but I'm not mad about it. It's heartening to know that Patel's early struggle doesn't mean the end of his career, because you can't expect so much from a teenager on debut. Now, I don't see how he has a future after Dhoni's arrival, but let's hope the competition with our 3 keepers remains strong.

Ajit Agarkar ~ Greg Chappell must seriously love this guy, because he shouldn't have been in the team for Sri Lanka and he only hurt his case for selection by taking just 3 wickets in the series. All I can do is hope that Zaheer is chosen as the 2nd paceman, and RP Singh as the 3rd if need be. I was hoping VRV Singh would be drafted in for Agarkar.

 

[Arjun]

As a fan, I fully agree with the above post. Let's now look at some of the better selections:

RP Singh: He has been very impressive in ODI's with his pace, as well as the movement he gets off the pitch. He bowls a few wides too many, but has done well as a change seamer. He's also a very good outfielder, and that can support the bowling well. His success, however, has been only in ODI's and it remains to be seen how successful he'll be in Tests. Then again, we've seen how successful little Agarkar has been– or has he?

Zaheer: Agarkar's (non-)performance in the recently concluded Test series was a screaming recall call for Zaheer. Obviously, he's more powerful than Agarkar, though not very consistent, and has a few problems with fitness. He's bowled like a true striker in the Duleep and Ranji matches where he figured, and once he's back to bowling at full pace, rush him in. He should be opening the bowling alongside Irfan, and a combination of Irfan, Zaheer and RP Singh will be worth a watch.

A few unlucky omissions-

Joginder Sharma– If Parthiv Patel can return as a wicketkeeping all-rounder and Agarkar as a strike bowler, why can't Joginder Sharma make his Test debut? He's an outswing bowler like Balaji and has been running hot in this season's Ranji Trophy. He's not outright quick, but definitely as fast as any pacer playing for India, and he's a good support bowler too. His batting resembles that of Kaif (and not a tailender unlike Agarkar) and he can hit a few big ones. In four Ranji matches (against Tier I teams) he has played, he's taken 29 wickets and he's also scored 2 over 50 at an average slightly less than 30. The selectors have missed a trick here.

VR Singh– He's very tall. Hes very fast. He's very aggressive. Ideal for this high-pressure series. He bowls like Agarkar, but given his power, he can afford to do so. He can also slog a few runs, just like the selectors' little pet. Yet this firebrand doesn't make the cut. Fans may keep asking– "Why, why, why?" You know power has been missing in the pace attack. Now here's one man who has it– why leave him out?

What the team management can do–

Play five bowlers– Kumble and Harbhajan are India's best bowlers, and they have to play together. Two seamers of the available quality are not enough to get the full 20 wickets. Irfan can score more than a few runs, along with Harbhajan– not to mention, Kumble's supposed to be rather good himself, with those six FC centuries. Zaheer and Irfan form a good new-ball combination, and RP Singh is good back-up. This time, it's a risk worth taking.

Stick to Sehwag and Gambhir– They've been out of form recently, but we've seen what this pair can do on their day. Both score quickly. Both can play a long innings when needed. They provide a knockout punch at the top of the order. Given how fast they score (and how long they last), the middle-order has it a lot easier now, than they did with those scratchy ball-blockers at the top who scored a lot less for just as long.