***Official*** India in South Africa 2017/18

[karan316]

Third Test at the Wanderers

India (Playing XI): Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Parthiv Patel (wk), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah

South Africa (Playing XI): Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungisani Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo

India win the toss and opt to bat!

Oh, where did you get that piece of information from? Seems like you are great at research. Can you tell us the source?

 

[Contra]

To those asking why India went in with 5 bowlers, its because India know Rohit won't score any more runs than Bhuvi would in any case

 

[Stapel]

I hope I'm made to eat humble pie, but Phehlukwayo's selection is utterly pointless. Let the pressure off and doesn't have anything that any of the other four don't have.

Whether he has anything the other quicks don't have, is not the point. Four quicks can't bowl for the day, so SA do need a fifth.

You might still be right that Phehlukwayo is not hte right choice though.

 

[Rssll]

I hope I'm made to eat humble pie, but Phehlukwayo's selection is utterly pointless. Let the pressure off and doesn't have anything that any of the other four don't have.

It does seem bizarre. If you're going with 5 bowlers it would make sense to bring a spinner for a bit of variety and in case the conditions change. An extra seamer seems pointless unless you're worried about someone's durability.

 

[Marius]

Whether he has anything the other quicks don't have, is not the point. Four quicks can't bowl for the day, so SA do need a fifth.

You might still be right that Phehlukwayo is not hte right choice though.

Nonsense.

Teams have played with four quicks often. The WI for most of the 1970s and 1980s, SA when we got back into international cricket.

We could easily have played a sixth batsman in this side, and had Elgar, Markram, and De Bruyn (if he played) send down some overs if the quicks needed a break.

 

[StephenZA]

I really don't want this to keep going through the rest of the thread. Phehlukwayo`s selection was just bad and we know that it in all probability was political. It hurts both a young man's career and is unjust on de Bruyn and/or Maharaj. But at this stage SA team just has to get on with it, we should still be favourites in these conditions.

 

[digiosmosis]

Guess Proteas bowling attack is already intimidating. Chetashwar Pujara creates history as he took 54 deliveries to score his first run!
Fortunately Pujara is the third on the list of facing maximum deliveries before scoring -- behind Stuart Broad [62] and Rajesh Chauhan [57].

 

[digiosmosis]

Guess Kohli will be the first Indian captain to be whitewashed in South Africa How marriage changes fortunes!

 

[Stapel]

Nonsense.

Teams have played with four quicks often. The WI for most of the 1970s and 1980s, SA when we got back into international cricket.

We could easily have played a sixth batsman in this side, and had Elgar, Markram, and De Bruyn (if he played) send down some overs if the quicks needed a break.

We're miscommunicating, right?
You agree with me a team needs a fifth bowler (part-time or not), yet think it is nonsense?
Fast bowlers bowling more than 20 overs in a day are a rarity. That was my point.

I agree with you a part-timer would be the better option.

 

[Top Cat]

FYI Chris Morris is on paternity leave apparently, and I can see the rationale for Phlulekwayo over Maharaj.

Not sure 4 fast bowlers is enough, usually with 4 bowlers you have the spinner bowling a few more overs and holding one end up and not getting tired. It doesn't matter too much if an innings is going to last <90 overs but if it 's a >100 overs type innings the fast bowlers will really start to tire if they are bowling >25 overs an innings. Especially the likes of Rabada and Ngidi who are young fast men, while Philander is unfit anyway.

Australia had 4 bowers but one of them was a spinner, and the likes of Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh, Symonds, Martin etc would also chip in with a few overs. With the West Indies, Viv Richards/Larry Gomes would pitch in. For South Africa, it would be Hansie Cronje/Klusener/Kallis + 3 other bowlers so often they had 5/6 options.

For India in the 2000s, Ganguly Tendulkar and Sehwag would bowl a fair few overs as well. Just that the SA and the Indian teams today don't seem to have batsmen capable or wiling to bowl 5-10 overs.

 

[Marius]

We're miscommunicating, right?
You agree with me a team needs a fifth bowler (part-time or not), yet think it is nonsense?
Fast bowlers bowling more than 20 overs in a day are a rarity. That was my point.

I agree with you a part-timer would be the better option.

And we don't need Phehlukwayo, he's not a part-timer. Markram and Elgar could have turned their arms over a bit.

But let's be real, it's unlikely that it'll tale Morkel, Rabada et al 20 overs each to bowl out India.

 

[StephenZA]

But let's be real, it's unlikely that it'll tale Morkel, Rabada et al 20 overs each to bowl out India.

Touch wood...

 

[Stapel]

And we don't need Phehlukwayo, he's not a part-timer. Markram and Elgar could have turned their arms over a bit.

But let's be real, it's unlikely that it'll tale Morkel, Rabada et al 20 overs each to bowl out India.

Ha, probably not! For the sake of a decent test, I do hope India won't be rolled over by the end of the day.

 

[anaksr]

I want Rahane to score a ton but India to lose to some thing in Mad max Virat.

 

[weldone]

Wow Philander 9-7-2-1!

 

[StephenZA]

Pujara going into rocket mode....

 

[Stapel]

Pujara going into rocket mode....

Madness! Absurd! Two consecutive boundaries ..... That's not cricket.

 

[Marius]

Madness! Absurd! Two consecutive boundaries ..... Thta's not cricket.

This isn't baseball! Making a mockery of our beautiful game.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Disgusting from Pujara. Very disappointed.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Unplayable.