***Official*** India in South Africa

[silentstriker]

Accept it - He should start thinking about retirement. j/k

Anyways - Congratulations to team India for winning the first test in SA. All credit to Greg Chappell. I will be happy if ended up winning few test series outside the SC at the expense of being **** in ODIs.

Also good to see Irfan Pathan back in Gujrat. Gujrat needs some workers in the paddy fields.

He plays for Baroda. And welcome back.

 

[Fusion]

Accept it - He should start thinking about retirement. j/k

Anyways - Congratulations to team India for winning the first test in SA. All credit to Greg Chappell. I will be happy if ended up winning few test series outside the SC at the expense of being **** in ODIs.

Also good to see Irfan Pathan back in Gujrat. Gujrat needs some workers in the paddy fields.

Welcome back!

 

[silentstriker]

Maybe not the best time to mention this, but ever since Goughy mentioned it, I've been looking for it and yesterday when watching in slow motion, I could clearly see Sreesanth's elbow being bent, especially on that one where he bowled Boucher.

Will take a look at him again tomorrow, to see what happens. We don't need another chucking controversy.

 

[Sanz]

Welcome back!

Thanks. I tried to read threads since I left, but it seems forum has moved miles in 6 weeks.

SS - Baroda is in Gujrat.

 

[silentstriker]

Thanks. I tried to read threads since I left, but it seems forum has moved miles in 6 weeks.

SS - Baroda is in Gujrat.

I realize that. But he plays for Baroda not Gujarat.

 

[marc71178]

Did you happen to see the decisions? Did you happen to notice the fact that the umpire told VRV singh to not walk on the pitch when Nel was all over the pitch after every ball last test and nothing at all was said to him. Did you happen to notice the umpires are telling Sreesanth not to be aggressive, when nothing ever said to Nel?

Do you perhaps think that the match referee has had a word about such things between games?

 

[silentstriker]

Do you perhaps think that the match referee has had a word about such things between games?

Exactly. The accusations of bias are tiring. Everytime anything happens, its all about bias...it gets ridiculous.

 

[silentstriker]

Ishant Sharma?

What the hell? Ishant Sharma gets a call up? What the hell has he done? Five FC games? Are Indian test caps worth so little that you're willing to give them out like this? Not that he's going to get a cap in SA, but the fact that he's even in the squad after playing five games is ridiculous.

Someone like Gagandeep Singh toils for years without getting a callup and you just give it up for a guy who has played five FC matches? What kind of ridiculous business is this?

 

[PhoenixFire]

He looks a bit like some woman i saw playing for India once, Sharma was the name too I think.

 

[social]

Disagree with the commentators (BA Richards especially) who claimed that this was a 350 pitch, India on top etc

Balls were still bouncing and seaming considerably at the end of the day and if conditions remain the same, SA have posted a more than competitive score

 

[silentstriker]

Disagree with the commentators (BA Richards especially) who claimed that this was a 350 pitch, India on top etc

Balls were still bouncing and seaming considerably at the end of the day and if conditions remain the same, SA have posted a more than competitive score

Are we watching the same match? Bouncing and seaming? Hardly.

 

[adharcric]

Accept it - He should start thinking about retirement. j/k

Anyways - Congratulations to team India for winning the first test in SA. All credit to Greg Chappell. I will be happy if ended up winning few test series outside the SC at the expense of being **** in ODIs.

Also good to see Irfan Pathan back in Gujrat. Gujrat needs some workers in the paddy fields.

You missed out on a great win in the 1st test. Welcome back mate.

 

[adharcric]

Ishant Sharma?

What the hell? Ishant Sharma gets a call up? What the hell has he done? Five FC games? Are Indian test caps worth so little that you're willing to give them out like this? Not that he's going to get a cap in SA, but the fact that he's even in the squad after playing five games is ridiculous.

Someone like Gagandeep Singh toils for years without getting a callup and you just give it up for a guy who has played five FC matches? What kind of ridiculous business is this?

As talented as Sharma may be (he does bowl at a lively pace and gets very good bounce apparently), this is shocking to say the least. This really makes me think that Joginder and Gagandeep are flattered by their records in some way. Well then, let's see how this pans out. Hopefully this won't matter and Munaf will make his return in the 3rd test.

 

[adharcric]

He looks a bit like some woman i saw playing for India once, Sharma was the name too I think.

This selection goes in hand somewhat with the "choose on potential and not performance" philosophy that the selectors are going by right now, but Sharma is beyond raw.
He's anorexic, enervated, starving ...

 

[silentstriker]

As talented as Sharma may be (he does bowl at a lively pace and gets very good bounce apparently), this is shocking to say the least. This really makes me think that Joginder and Gagandeep are flattered by their records in some way. Well then, let's see how this pans out. Hopefully this won't matter and Munaf will make his return in the 3rd test.

I hear he is strictly medium. In any case, you can't really go by five matches - unless he took fifty wickets or something in those five.

 

[adharcric]

I hear he is strictly medium. In any case, you can't really go by five matches - unless he took fifty wickets or something in those five.

You mean medium-pace? I've heard he works up decent pace (mid-80s) and has great accuracy and bounce.
You can judge potential somewhat at this stage, but you obviously shouldn't be picking him at this level unless he's proven himself.

 

[silentstriker]

You mean medium-pace? I've heard he works up decent pace (mid-80s) and has great accuracy and bounce.

Someone said around 80, but I've never seen him personally, so I can't be sure.

You can judge potential somewhat at this stage, but you obviously shouldn't be picking him at this level unless he's proven himself.

Completely agree. Surely there are bowlers who've been doing it for longer? He is only 18...give him a couple seasons, and if he keeps his performances up consistently, then I have no problems calling him when he's 20-21.

Piyush Chawla & Parthiv Patel earlier, and now this..I fear we are cheapening the value of the test cap. It should be something you have to prove that you've earned.

I'm not saying you have to stay in the wilderness, like Hussey, but the Aussie model is not a bad one to follow.

Nothing wrong with bringing in cricketers in their mid twenties, after they know how to handle various situations within the game, how to keep fitness over a long period of time, and have worked out their strengths and weaknesses.

Test cricket is not a primary school where you learn your trade.

 

[Prince EWS]

Someone like Gagandeep Singh toils for years without getting a callup and you just give it up for a guy who has played five FC matches? What kind of ridiculous business is this?

Test cricket is not about rewarding consistent first class players - it is about picking the team you think has the best chance of winning.

More often than not, the team that has the best chance of winning will contain your proven test-quality players and, every so often, the promotion of consistent first class players. But this isn't always the case. Obviously the Indian selectors don't believe the likes of Yadav, Joginder (sp?) and Gagandeep simple aren't good enough to be effective at all in test cricket, so they've opted for a youngster who has impressed them with his bowling in the limited games he has been given.

Would be akin to picking Clark in front of Vaas in a World XI.

 

[silentstriker]

You mean medium-pace? I've heard he works up decent pace (mid-80s) and has great accuracy and bounce.
You can judge potential somewhat at this stage, but you obviously shouldn't be picking him at this level unless he's proven himself.

Even if Gagandeep's record is deceiving, I don't think you can be total crap and have that record. At the very least, he's earned a tryout. Give him a match or two, you can at least tell if he belongs at his level. Certainly deserves it more than this guy.

 

[silentstriker]

Test cricket is not about rewarding consistent first class players - it is about picking the team you think has the best chance of winning.

The man has played five test matches. What exactly has he proven? How do you even know from five matches what he can bring to a winning formula.

Its not necessarily about rewarding FC stalwarts - but if you have a fantastic FC record, you should get a tryout when a spot opens up. FC record is still the single best predictor of success at the test level.