***Official*** India in South Africa

[Kweek]

DROP TENDULKAR !

Have been saying this for few years on these Boards. He is a businessman milking the gullible Indian fans. Amazing.

you honour your name.

 

[dass]

i think Sehwag should be dropped down the order, he performs well when he isbatting at number 6 or 7, his opening slot has been horrible for him and i think Tendulaker also is not a good opener anymore, maybe he should drop down to number 4. They really need to shuffle thier order

 

[TT Boy]

What a knock from Kemp, you always fancied him to take apart the Indian ‘pace’ bowlers, their are right up his alley but he just ****ing owned them. Terrible starter and his bowling is gone to pot but on home pitches against tin pot pace bowlers he is absolutely devastating. And TBH old Zaheer deserved to cop a bit of stick, his figures were ridiculously flattering. Good ball to Smith but with his mind and form nowhere, Khan would have got him with his weapon of choice (the extremely juicy wide ball that dismissed both Bosman and Kallis). AB once again chucked it away, awful shot, two in two but his no Michael Slater and should only get better in the one day game. South Africa will be extremely pleased but they know that the batting has to improve, you can’t keep expecting miracles from the lower order and with the test series coming up, Smith, Gibbs need some form desperately.

As for India well if you can’t win when you have the opposition seventy odd for six then when are you going to win, how they conspired to lose this game is pretty unbelievable. I actually thought India might do something in South Africa this time round but other than Dravid none of the guys look up for it both technically and mentality.

 

[JustTool]

Long time no see. I like how you seem to come on every time India does not do well. Last match when he high scored, you were conspicuously absent.

Your mindless worship of underperformers is what's wrong with Indian cricket. Let's see Tendulkar "high" scored - what 31 ? with 2 chnaces - and India lost BADLY.

None of these guys are playing to make the country proud - only for endorsements. It's a pity to decalre them (national) heroes.

If I only cma ehre when India did not do well, I would be here all the time. I don't have that kind of time for these pathetic losers - starting with the BCCI.

 

[Perm]

Disappointing loss for India on a pitch that didn't offer that much to the bowlers. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar both got out playing shots that went right to the fielder's hands, Pollock and Ntini bowled extremely well with the new ball I felt and they were backed up by some good first change bowling from Andrew Hall. Dinesh Karthik should never be played as a specialist batsman, if they really wanted to play him and Dhoni then Dhoni should have forfeited the gloves.

Some positives for India though, Rahul Dravid back at #3 is the right decision and they should leave him there. Zaheer Khan bowled beautifully in his first spell but was slogged around off his last 3 overs. Anil Kumble kept it very tight in his comeback came but those three dropped chances cost India big time and came back to haunt them.

 

[silentstriker]

Your mindless worship of underperformers is what's wrong with Indian cricket. Let's see Tendulkar "high" scored - what 31 ? with 2 chnaces - and India lost BADLY.

None of these guys are playing to make the country proud - only for endorsements. It's a pity to decalre them (national) heroes.

If I only cma ehre when India did not do well, I would be here all the time. I don't have that kind of time for these pathetic losers - starting with the BCCI.

O' great one, please enlighten us with someone who has better technique or has better chance to cope with the wickets in South Africa except Dravid and Tendulkar. Name one.

I am all for dropping the lot of them, if you can find me players who can play pace and bounce.

 

[dass]

Tendulaker is indeed out of form, he hasn't scored much since the century against west indies. also the whole team is out of form

 

[adharcric]

Interesting that no one has mentioned Jerling's missed call when Kemp edged a Kumble delivery down the leg side.
That was definitely a turning point in the South Africa innings, along with Tendulkar's botched return catch.
Kemp's innings is being overrated IMO - he played well, but the death bowling was horrendous, he had 3 or 4 chances and the straight boundaries were very short.

 

[adharcric]

Openers
Sehwag's inability to deliver at the top is quite pathetic for such an experienced, established player. Gambhir needs to be recalled after this tour - if not to replace Sehwag, at least to put some pressure on him. Tendulkar's full-blooded pull unfortunately landed straight in the hands of the fielder today, but he fires occasionally enough and is clearly the best opener we have.

Middle-Order
Dravid's return to #3 was good to see but we do need experience later in the order as well. Kaif is flattering to deceive but he's still performed adequately given the (lack of) opportunities he's gotten of late. Mongia and Raina will probably get another match or two in this series. Raina is pretty much heading back to domestic cricket but Mongia will probably retain his place simply because he can bowl. With Yuvraj absent and Raina disappointing, Laxman and Badrinath must return. Let Ganguly score some more runs for Bengal.

Wicketkeeper
One of the few positives on this tour has been Dhoni's batting. He has churned the singles quite well and yesterday's dismissal was not such a rash shot - simply good field placement and a brilliant catch. Karthik also looked pretty good with the bat yesterday in the time he spent at the crease. If Raina and Mongia aren't going to score runs, I don't see anything wrong with playing Karthik as a specialist batsman on this tour. In fact, his athleticism really helps our close-in fielding and somewhat makes up for the absence of Yuvraj and Raina in the field.

Seamers
Pathan bowled well in the beginning apart from a few short balls but got butchered at the death - nothing unexpected though, he's always been a poor death bowler. Agarkar and Zaheer should've fared better, but they also bowled the wrong (good) length to Kemp and Hall. The need for a bowling coach has never been more obvious. This group of five is our best right now, but Agarkar must be dropped for the next match. Sreesanth should be given a chance - he's a wicket-taking option unlike Agarkar and would surely have something to prove after falling out of favor with the management. He also generates good pace and seam/swing movement and may excel on these pitches.

Spinners
Kumble was brilliant and exuded his class. Harbhajan has looked poor so far in South Africa - time to bench him as well.

For the next match, we should only play one spinner. Either play three seamers and leave out Pathan or play four seamers and include him.
Unless Pathan learns to bowl at the death, we can't go in with three seamers if Pathan is one of them ... that's suicide in the death overs.

 

[silentstriker]

I said I would admit when I am wrong, and I am pleased to admit that I have been impressed by Dhoni. He had some sixes where I thought he shouldn't bother, but generally he was playing safe shots, ran some good singles and doubles, and did a great job with Dravid today.

Definitely great to see, hope he can keep it going and continue to improve against the two things I always thought would undo him and his technique (rising balls, movement).

 

[Dravid]

Your mindless worship of underperformers is what's wrong with Indian cricket. Let's see Tendulkar "high" scored - what 31 ? with 2 chnaces - and India lost BADLY.

None of these guys are playing to make the country proud - only for endorsements. It's a pity to decalre them (national) heroes.

If I only cma ehre when India did not do well, I would be here all the time. I don't have that kind of time for these pathetic losers - starting with the BCCI.

Your Cricket knowledge is whats wrong with fans. You consider a score of 35 bad? No matter what the situation is, the team could have everyone go past 50, and have one batsman score 35...35 will still be a decent score so I don't now what your on about.

Where you going around blabbering about how the team is just interested in endorsements when we won 18 consecutive chases earlier in the year.

I don't blame you...you are just another victim of the Indian media.

 

[Dravid]

Openers
Sehwag's inability to deliver at the top is quite pathetic for such an experienced, established player. Gambhir needs to be recalled after this tour - if not to replace Sehwag, at least to put some pressure on him. Tendulkar's full-blooded pull unfortunately landed straight in the hands of the fielder today, but he fires occasionally enough and is clearly the best opener we have.

I agree with you that Tendulkar got a bit unlucky today. He didn't miss time that shot and we all know 9 out of 10 times he would get that to the boundary. Sehwags shot however had a little bit of edge and went flying to third man for a decent catch. Seriously if he doesn't do anything in the next two games, drop him. And if they don't, then the BCCI are idiots.

Middle-Order
Dravid's return to #3 was good to see but we do need experience later in the order as well. Kaif is flattering to deceive but he's still performed adequately given the (lack of) opportunities he's gotten of late. Mongia and Raina will probably get another match or two in this series. Raina is pretty much heading back to domestic cricket but Mongia will probably retain his place simply because he can bowl. With Yuvraj absent and Raina disappointing, Laxman and Badrinath must return. Let Ganguly score some more runs for Bengal.

We have two series coming up before the World Cup. It was originally one series, but BCCI changed into two with 4 ODIs in each. Thats a good idea really. Laxman should be selected for the time and play atleast all 4 matches to get used to the team again just in time for the World Cup.

Wicketkeeper
One of the few positives on this tour has been Dhoni's batting. He has churned the singles quite well and yesterday's dismissal was not such a rash shot - simply good field placement and a brilliant catch. Karthik also looked pretty good with the bat yesterday in the time he spent at the crease. If Raina and Mongia aren't going to score runs, I don't see anything wrong with playing Karthik as a specialist batsman on this tour. In fact, his athleticism really helps our close-in fielding and somewhat makes up for the absence of Yuvraj and Raina in the field.

It would be a good idea to have him switch with Dhoni every now and then for keeping during games. He's fielding was pathetic from the 4-5 times the ball was played to him. I'm not sure if thats how he normally fields but I don't blame him either because he is a keeper.

Seamers
Pathan bowled well in the beginning apart from a few short balls but got butchered at the death - nothing unexpected though, he's always been a poor death bowler. Agarkar and Zaheer should've fared better, but they also bowled the wrong (good) length to Kemp and Hall. The need for a bowling coach has never been more obvious. This group of five is our best right now, but Agarkar must be dropped for the next match. Sreesanth should be given a chance - he's a wicket-taking option unlike Agarkar and would surely have something to prove after falling out of favor with the management. He also generates good pace and seam/swing movement and may excel on these pitches.

Agarkar seriously shouldn't even have been picked for the two matches. A couple of random wickets out of no where should not be good enough to pick him over all the bad balls he bowls and gives away so many runs. Sreesanth should be the option atleast for the next ODI and see how he does before thinking about giving Agarkar a go at the 5th.

Khan was pure brilliance in his first spell. He just seems to have lost his rhythm in the 9th and 10th over. He should still be in the squad for the upcoming series against SL and WI and stay in the squad for the World Cup.

Spinners
Kumble was brilliant and exuded his class. Harbhajan has looked poor so far in South Africa - time to bench him as well.

Harbhajan didn't do any better in CT either so it would be a really good idea to rest him and go with four bowlers if Munaf isn't fit in time.

For the next match, we should only play one spinner. Either play three seamers and leave out Pathan or play four seamers and include him.
Unless Pathan learns to bowl at the death, we can't go in with three seamers if Pathan is one of them ... that's suicide in the death overs.

Pathan should use majority of his overs with the new ball, there was no point in bringing in Agarkar with the new ball. If India want to play three seamers, I believe it would be a better idea to let Pathan stay in the team instead of Agarkar. Sachin can take over for the death overs because he is probably the second best death over bowler we got. If India play four seamers, there is no point in not letting Pathan bowl with the new ball.

 

[Dravid]

Interesting that no one has mentioned Jerling's missed call when Kemp edged a Kumble delivery down the leg side.
That was definitely a turning point in the South Africa innings, along with Tendulkar's botched return catch.
Kemp's innings is being overrated IMO - he played well, but the death bowling was horrendous, he had 3 or 4 chances and the straight boundaries were very short.

Who was dropped at short mid-on? I believe it was Hall who was also dropped by Dravid. Indias fielding is also to blame for the situation they got themselves in(Apart from Kaifs runout which was the best piece of fielding I have seen since De Villiars run out against Australia)

 

[honestbharani]

I agree with you that Tendulkar got a bit unlucky today. He didn't miss time that shot and we all know 9 out of 10 times he would get that to the boundary. Sehwags shot however had a little bit of edge and went flying to third man for a decent catch. Seriously if he doesn't do anything in the next two games, drop him. And if they don't, then the BCCI are idiots.



We have two series coming up before the World Cup. It was originally one series, but BCCI changed into two with 4 ODIs in each. Thats a good idea really. Laxman should be selected for the time and play atleast all 4 matches to get used to the team again just in time for the World Cup.



It would be a good idea to have him switch with Dhoni every now and then for keeping during games. He's fielding was pathetic from the 4-5 times the ball was played to him. I'm not sure if thats how he normally fields but I don't blame him either because he is a keeper.



Agarkar seriously shouldn't even have been picked for the two matches. A couple of random wickets out of no where should not be good enough to pick him over all the bad balls he bowls and gives away so many runs. Sreesanth should be the option atleast for the next ODI and see how he does before thinking about giving Agarkar a go at the 5th.

Khan was pure brilliance in his first spell. He just seems to have lost his rhythm in the 9th and 10th over. He should still be in the squad for the upcoming series against SL and WI and stay in the squad for the World Cup.



Harbhajan didn't do any better in CT either so it would be a really good idea to rest him and go with four bowlers if Munaf isn't fit in time.



Pathan should use majority of his overs with the new ball, there was no point in bringing in Agarkar with the new ball. If India want to play three seamers, I believe it would be a better idea to let Pathan stay in the team instead of Agarkar. Sachin can take over for the death overs because he is probably the second best death over bowler we got. If India play four seamers, there is no point in not letting Pathan bowl with the new ball.

Kaarthick's fielding was hardly pathetic. It was only when he was in the boundary when Kemp was going berserk that he actually misfielded the ball. Otherwise, he was diving around. Sure, he had trouble actually catching the ball but that's probably because he is used to catching them with the gloves on. Anyways, if we are going to play both Kaarthick and Dhoni, why not let Kaarthick keep wickets? No offence to Dhoni, but Kaarthick is still the better keeper, and by quite a margin, I dare say seeing how Dhoni let those byes go off Harbhajan down the legside.

 

[honestbharani]

I dare say that India have got the batting order a bit decently worked out right now. Pathan has to go. He is simply a waste of time at the moment. They played him because the 7th batsman supposedly didn't score enough to warrant a place in the side, but then again, Pathan as the 5th bowler is hardly doing enough to even remotely warrant a place in the side. Either bring back Mongia or Raina or simply get in Sreesanth as our 5th bowler. Weakens our batting a lot, but at least Santh has a bit of potential to be a wicket taker for us.


I am not sure if we can blame any of the Indian bowlers in the slog, to be honest. Sure, they could have bowled better but once Kemp went off the way he did, I don't think many bowlers around the world would have gotten their acts right. Big hitters in that form has that kind of effect on the teams. But I do have beef with the way AA and Pathan bowled. On the one end, we had Zaheer bowl 7 overs for 9 and pick up 3 wickets and then we saw Kumble bowl 6 overs for 8. At the other end, we had AA giving away 42 off 6 and then Pathan giving away 31 off 6. That is not the way we can keep up pressure. They were the main reasons both Gibbs and De Villiers got off. And both Gibbs and AB have only themselves to blame for throwing away such a start that they got for free thanks to the woeful performance of AA and Pathan.


Sachin needs to pick up his game but just from his reaction to getting out yesterday, I don't think a big one is all that far away. It may perhaps come in the dead rubber but at least the signs are there that he will be back in good form soon. Dravid needs to stop getting stuck. That is why I think he should bat 4 or 5 and not at 3. He gets stuck batting at that number. I am not saying he could have hit sixes yesterday but there were a number of balls that could have been driven or flicked for fours all along the ground and instead he just kept blocking them or hitting them straight to fielders. He is still not a natural ODI player and that needs to be kept in mind.


Dhoni was really impressive. Like SS, I have also had my doubts over his ability to handle these conditions with the bat and his knock yesterday showed that he is improving. I think he should bat at 5 for us from now on in ODIs till Yuvi is back. Kaarthick showed a bit of fight with the bat. He may not be as talented with the bat as Raina or even Dinesh Mongia but he has some pluck and guts and for that reason alone, he needs to be persisted with. And he NEEDS to take over as the keeper not only because he is a better keeper than Dhoni but also because this way, Dhoni can concentrate a bit more on his batting, which has become very vital to our side now that Yuvi is out.


And lastly, Harbhajan needs to sort his role out fast. He is not the same guy he was in the previous series and that is a big blow to us.

 

[adharcric]

Karthik is miles ahead of Dhoni behind the stumps, but IMO Karthik can be a very good close-in fielder for India even without the gloves. I'm not so sure how Dhoni will fare in the field without the gloves and I don't think a quality keeper is as crucial in ODIs as it is in tests.

 

[honestbharani]

Karthik is miles ahead of Dhoni behind the stumps, but IMO Karthik can be a very good close-in fielder for India even without the gloves. I'm not so sure how Dhoni will fare in the field without the gloves and I don't think a quality keeper is as crucial in ODIs as it is in tests.

yeah, but isn't it true that Dhoni can bowl decent seam up stuff at around 125 to 130 kph? For all we know, he could actually fare better than Pathan and AA.

 

[adharcric]

yeah, but isn't it true that Dhoni can bowl decent seam up stuff at around 125 to 130 kph? For all we know, he could actually fare better than Pathan and AA.

Definitely worth a shot - India would have the ultimate all-rounder who bats, keeps and bowls.

 

[honestbharani]

Definitely worth a shot - India would have the ultimate all-rounder who bats, keeps and bowls.

Not exactly. I mean, he would still have competition from Andrew Hall, Mike Hussey and AB De Villiers, I guess.

 

[Dravid]

Things never seem to get better for India these days. http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/rsavind/content/current/story/270058.html

Thankfully it's not serious...or so they say.