***Official*** India in South Africa

[Nishant]

We can't just give excuses that india are up against good bowling. It was the same against the aussies and the WI! It looks like we are just saying that its alright for the batsmen to fail, just because the bowling's good! With an attitude like that, we can only beat bangladesh and Zimbabwe!

India need to sort out their batting...its not good. Yeh sure, in general in india, or paksitan, where the pitches are flat, the batting can do well. But to beat the big nations away, and win the world cup ( which won't always be in the sub continent), we have to play pace bowling well! I don't care what dravid say; but indi are real crap aginst a pace bowler when the bowl is doing a little something.

P.s. I also think that we should stop calling Dravid the wall. 'cos if he is, then the wall is made of straw that can be blown over by any wolf! ( i.e other teams) He has been underperforming, and needs to do as much work as the others!

 

[Turbinator]

IMO the Indian team has been hit by injuries, bad form, lack of team chemistry, and inexperience. This is the secret formula for the Indian team's horrible recent form.

I just wonder what'll happen when Dravid and Tendulkar retire, we're doomed. There is no one that is mature enough to take up the responsibility and perform consistently.

My lineup for Sunday's game

Sehwag
Tendulkar
Mohd Kaif
Dravid
Mongia
Dhoni
Pathan
Kumble
Harbhajan Singh
Zaheer Khan
Munaf Patel

 

[Turbinator]

We can't just give excuses that india are up against good bowling. It was the same against the aussies and the WI! It looks like we are just saying that its alright for the batsmen to fail, just because the bowling's good! With an attitude like that, we can only beat bangladesh and Zimbabwe!

India need to sort out their batting...its not good. Yeh sure, in general in india, or paksitan, where the pitches are flat, the batting can do well. But to beat the big nations away, and win the world cup ( which won't always be in the sub continent), we have to play pace bowling well! I don't care what dravid say; but indi are real crap aginst a pace bowler when the bowl is doing a little something.

P.s. I also think that we should stop calling Dravid the wall. 'cos if he is, then the wall is made of straw that can be blown over by any wolf! ( i.e other teams) He has been underperforming, and needs to do as much work as the others!

Don't forget England.

 

[Gajanayake]

IMO the Indian team has been hit by injuries, bad form, lack of team chemistry, and inexperience. This is the secret formula for the Indian team's horrible recent form.

I just wonder what'll happen when Dravid and Tendulkar retire, we're doomed. There is no one that is mature enough to take up the responsibility and perform consistently.

My lineup for Sunday's game

Sehwag
Tendulkar
Mohd Kaif
Dravid
Mongia
Dhoni
Pathan
Kumble
Harbhajan Singh
Zaheer Khan
Munaf Patel

Swap AA for Zaheer and that's pretty much the best team we can muster IMO.
RAina and Jaffer should not be in the team - Pathan's more likely to score runs than either of the two.
Zaheer's quite overrated IMV- a domestic bully but crap at this level.

They really shoudl have picked VVS and Bradinath in oplace of Jaffer and Raina.

 

[Gajanayake]

You shouldn't sacrifice pace to learn line and length. We don't need another 80mph line and length bowler. Indian domestic circuit is full of them. Keep your pace, and work on line and length with that pace.

No ....It's a question of what works well for Munaf. He has bowled very well in 7 of his last 8 games so I don't see why he has to change.

At ODI level, pace isn't really that important - control matters far more, and Munaf has that the way he is bolwing in ODIs ate present.

 

[Goughy]

You shouldn't sacrifice pace to learn line and length. We don't need another 80mph line and length bowler. Indian domestic circuit is full of them. Keep your pace, and work on line and length with that pace.

In all honesty this type of decision or choice should have been made way before reaching International level.

International cricket is hardly the place to be working on line and length.

 

[adharcric]

In all honesty this type of decision or choice should have been made way before reaching International level.

International cricket is hardly the place to be working on line and length.

When Munaf bowls with pace, he has pretty good control. When he gives up some pace, he has exceptional control. That makes sense. My guess would be that Chappell and Dravid told him to focus on control in ODIs because that means more than pace. Now, Munaf seems to be overdoing it and even replicating it in tests once in a while - that is more due to lack of stamina than anything else IMO. I really don't have a problem if he bowls 130-135 kph with great control in ODIs, as long as he doesn't do that in tests.

 

[shortpitched713]

I really don't have a problem if he bowls 130-135 kph with great control in ODIs, as long as he doesn't do that in tests.

Personally, I wouldn't have too much a problem if he bowled 140-145 with great control. I mean seriously, he can bowl fast, he can bowl with great control, how much of a leap would it be to try to combine them both and become a truly exceptional product?

 

[adharcric]

Personally, I wouldn't have too much a problem if he bowled 140-145 with great control. I mean seriously, he can bowl fast, he can bowl with great control, how much of a leap would it be to try to combine them both and become a truly exceptional product?

I can imagine that it would be quite a leap; it took Lee and Akhtar quite some time to combine pace with accuracy. Munaf does bowl with great control even during his pacy spells in test cricket, so I agree with you somewhat. He may not have confidence in his ability to bowl ten overs with pace and accuracy because loose deliveries are punished severely in one-day cricket (unlike in tests). Still, he must work on it at least in practice matches because that's what will make him a genuine match-winner and not simply a steady option.

Let's step back and take a look at how he's done this season with this line-and-length approach.

Overall - 8 matches, 13 wickets, 21.6 average, 4.1 rpo

Now, if we exclude the match against Australia where he surprised all by playing despite a sprained wrist (or some injury) ... 7 matches, 13 wickets, 16.9 average, 3.7 rpo

I'll take that any day. Let's discuss the bigger problems facing Indian cricket, please.

 

[shortpitched713]

I'll take that any day. Let's discuss the bigger problems facing Indian cricket, please.

Umm... no one in the batting lineup willing to take responsibility in tough conditions besides Dravid and Tendulkar, and Tendulkar in mostly lost causes anyway.

 

[adharcric]

Umm... no one in the batting lineup willing to take responsibility in tough conditions besides Dravid and Tendulkar, and Tendulkar in mostly lost causes anyway.

Let's keep the discussion fixed on real problems, shall we?

 

[adharcric]

No one will agree with me on this one, but we should play both Raina and Mongia in the next match. Raina should get his last chance to take charge and stand up with the bat. Mongia is also someone who could be on the way out with Laxman and Badrinath knocking on the doors, so he needs to be put to the test as well. Karthik is the only alternative.

Pathan needs to return but Zaheer needs a good run and Munaf is our best seamer; this means Agarkar must sit out this match. Kumble in for Harbhajan for me, but it's unlikely.

 

[adharcric]

It appears that Dilip Vengsarkar is on his way to South Africa. Hopefully he booked a ticket for Badrinath as well.
I hope he slaps Raina, gives Mongia a low blow, scares the crap out of Kaif and tells Jaffer what a loser he is. That should help our chances on Sunday.

 

[honestbharani]

It appears that Dilip Vengsarkar is on his way to South Africa. Hopefully he booked a ticket for Badrinath as well.
I hope he slaps Raina, gives Mongia a low blow, scares the crap out of Kaif and tells Jaffer what a loser he is. That should help our chances on Sunday.

A series of stone cold stunners on them 4 wouldn't exactly stun me.

 

[alternative]

It appears that Dilip Vengsarkar is on his way to South Africa. Hopefully he booked a ticket for Badrinath as well.
I hope he slaps Raina, gives Mongia a low blow, scares the crap out of Kaif and tells Jaffer what a loser he is. That should help our chances on Sunday.

I still doubt that anything will happen.

 

[honestbharani]

BTW, how disgusting was it to watch Dhoni claim that bump ball catch? He was even high fiving and all. It is irritating to say the least because as the replays showed, the ball bounced comfortably in front of him and it wasn't even a diving catch (so that he can say that he wasn't aware or that his eyes weren't on the ball).


This is the second time he has done something like this. Did something similar in the Windies earlier this year. That time it was so obvious that the leg umpire himself turned it down. He looked bewildered that the Indians (esp. Dhoni) were claiming it.


Us Indian fans should now be the last ones to talk about sportsmanship, I guess.

 

[Tomm NCCC]

Taking a look at it, Crickets lost a lot of its sportsmanship values. Not walking, locking yourself in your dressing rooms and all that (Dont sue)

Whens the next game?

 

[Nishant]

It appears that Dilip Vengsarkar is on his way to South Africa. Hopefully he booked a ticket for Badrinath as well.
I hope he slaps Raina, gives Mongia a low blow, scares the crap out of Kaif and tells Jaffer what a loser he is. That should help our chances on Sunday.

i really hope that happens but i doubt it! He's just going to SA to make it seem like india care! But Raina will not be dropped and india are likely to lose the next game...hope im wrong!

 

[Anil]

whether they lose or not, hope they put up a better fight in the next game...

 

[TT Boy]

Taking a look at it, Crickets lost a lot of its sportsmanship values. Not walking, locking yourself in your dressing rooms and all that (Dont sue)

Whens the next game?

Sunday.