***Official*** India in South Africa

[silentstriker]

Dhoni plays the short ball pretty well you know.

Yea I know. So does Laxman actually. It was facetious.

 

[silentstriker]

There goes Dhoni.

 

[Dravid]

Yea I know. So does Laxman actually. It was facetious.

Sachin isn't bad at either.

 

[Langeveldt]

Sachin gone, while I hope one day he scores some serious runs, never before has a cricketer lived so long on reputation alone.

Good knock from Vaughn van Jaarsveld.. A few years ago I told people to look out for him.

 

[Dravid]

Sachin gone, while I hope one day he scores some serious runs, never before has a cricketer lived so long on reputation alone.

Good knock from Vaughn van Jaarsveld.. A few years ago I told people to look out for him.

Ganguly.

 

[silentstriker]

Sachin gone, while I hope one day he scores some serious runs, never before has a cricketer lived so long on reputation alone.

Ganguly. Kapil Dev his last couple years. Viv Richards in his last three years (ave 38 in his last 25 matches).

Tendulkar averages around the same (40).

 

[Anil]

He just scored a century in a Duleep Trophy match and top-scored on a dodgy Eden Gadens pitch. It's not brilliant form but he wasn't just randomly drafted in. If he had been out-of-form, they would have opted for Badrinath. The lack of solid middle-order options definitely played a part, but he wasn't exactly "gifted" a spot this time (like he has in the past).

1. the selectors are not looking forward when they bring him back.

2. i am sure in terms of domestic form there were better players than ganguly, as for experience, he hasn't exactly had great previous tours of south africa for them to use that as an excuse...you might be convinced that form is the sole reason that brought him in, i am not so sure....

let us see what he does in a test match situation...his 2nd innings duck notwithstanding, i can see that he has a lot of motivation to succeed, whether that will be enough remains to be seen...

 

[Dravid]

Was just watching Sport Center and they had videos from this mornings training session before the match and Greg and Ganguly seemed to be getting along pretty well. They were talking joking around and Greg was also bowling to him in the nets.

 

[Nate]

Was just watching Sport Center and they had videos from this mornings training session before the match and Greg and Ganguly seemed to be getting along pretty well. They were talking joking around and Greg was also bowling to him in the nets.

Chappell pitch map -

 

[silentstriker]

Was just watching Sport Center and they had videos from this mornings training session before the match and Greg and Ganguly seemed to be getting along pretty well. They were talking joking around and Greg was also bowling to him in the nets.

How many beamers did he send down?

 

[Nishant]

The indian batting is extreemnly poor! It doesnt matter even if they bowl really well, if they can get 150 on the board, they will lose....even if it is a test match, where bowlers win matches!

 

[Dravid]

It's not a batsman pitch. Otherwise there would be no way Indian bowlers would have such good figures. Just ask SS.

 

[silentstriker]

It's not a batsman pitch. Otherwise there would be no way Indian bowlers would have such good figures. Just ask SS.

It is possible for Indian bowlers to bowl well. My contention is that they've never been able to do so consistently, day in and day out, for an entire test, let alone an entire series. One specific bowler may have a good test or rarely even a series, but never the whole. What else do you attribute our horrendous record abroad?

 

[Anil]

It is possible for Indian bowlers to bowl well. My contention is that they've never been able to do so consistently, day in and day out, for an entire test, let alone an entire series. One specific bowler may have a good test or rarely even a series, but never the whole. What else do you attribute our horrendous record abroad?

lack of discipline, stamina, aggression, professionalism....

 

[silentstriker]

lack of discipline, stamina, aggression, professionalism....

All of that, especially in bowlers.

 

[adharcric]

Our idiot batsmen just made selection so much harder. Jaffer is asking to be dropped. We have to play Dravid, Laxman, Tendulkar and Ganguly in the middle-order, but that means we can only play four bowlers. Pathan should be the one to be left out in that case but he made a century. Then again, they might go for five bowlers which will mean Dravid has to open. That is a dreadful idea.

Gambhir
Sehwag
Dravid
Tendulkar
Laxman
Ganguly
Dhoni
Pathan/VRV
Kumble
Zaheer
Sreesanth

I doubt Munaf will be fit in time.

 

[silentstriker]

Jaffer does average 43.66 in his last five test matches. Why has he been 'asking' to get dropped? He had a bad 4th test in WI (along with almost everyone) and scored 60 and 54 in the test before that.

How about we give him a chance to see if he can do well in tests, as he has been doing?

If anything, we should bring back Aakash Chopra , and have Chopra and Jaffer open with Sehwag coming in the middle order. Chopra is doing what our openers should be doing - see the shine off the ball. It looks as if the wicket gets much better to bat on once the ball is older, and thats what our openers should be doing. So what, he'll get out for 25(120), but thats better than 5(2), just because he take up valuable time.

Am I missing something?

 

[mohammad16]

WTH is going on????? i mean indian players are looking liek club players

i didnt see any of the matches, can someone explain what the problem is

is it the bounce??? i was sure that sachin and dravid would have adjusted to that by now

or is it amazing swining deliveries which u would expect to get out on???

cuz really the scoreboard is quiet shocking to me
sachins still a great player and dravid aswell, i didnt think they would struggle this consistently on this tour

 

[adharcric]

Jaffer does average 43.66 in his last five test matches. Why has he been 'asking' to get dropped? He had a bad 4th test in WI (along with almost everyone) and scored 60 and 54 in the test before that.

How about we give him a chance to see if he can do well in tests, as he has been doing?

If anything, we should bring back Aakash Chopra , and have Chopra and Jaffer open with Sehwag coming in the middle order. Chopra is doing what our openers should be doing - see the shine off the ball. It looks as if the wicket gets much better to bat on once the ball is older, and thats what our openers should be doing. So what, he'll get out for 25(120), but thats better than 5(2), just because he take up valuable time.

Am I missing something?

I'm not sure. Jaffer looked solid against England and the West Indies but he's gotten out here playing away from his body on each occasion bar the inswinging delivery on Day 1. Perhaps he'll get back to his normal style once the real tests start.

As for Chopra, he definitely does play the role of an opener very well, especially in a lineup full of strokemakers who are vulnerable against the swinging new ball. Before we go there, we still need to try out Gambhir. He has always looked good as an opener and he's a top fielder as well. How can you put Sehwag in an already overcrowded middle-order? Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman and Ganguly are already there and the management is addicted to the 5-bowler theory. Yuvraj will eventualy return as well.

 

[silentstriker]

I'm not sure. Jaffer looked solid against England and the West Indies but he's gotten out here playing away from his body on each occasion bar the inswinging delivery on Day 1. Perhaps he'll get back to his normal style once the real tests start.

As for Chopra, he definitely does play the role of an opener very well, especially in a lineup full of strokemakers who are vulnerable against the swinging new ball. Before we go there, we still need to try out Gambhir. He has always looked good as an opener and he's a top fielder as well. How can you put Sehwag in an already overcrowded middle-order? Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman and Ganguly are already there and the management is addicted to the 5-bowler theory. Yuvraj will eventualy return as well.

My idea (would never happen) lineup in this climate would be:

1. Jaffer
2. Chopra
3. Dravid
4. Tendulkar
5. Sehwag
6. Dhoni
7. Pathan
8. Kumble
9. Sreesanth
10. VRV Singh
11. Munaf Patel

Also Chopra is a very good up close fielder, which you need more in tests than an outfielder.