***Official*** India in South Africa

[Gajanayake]

If Sehwag gets owned in tonight's match against the Aussies, I'd be glad to see him dropped from the one-day side, but we both know that it's unlikely given what an established figure he is. Joginder Sharma is someone I'd like to see getting picked in the future, but he won't find a place right now. As for Laxman, I'm afraid he's a gone case but let's see.

On to your other options. Vinay Kumar isn't even good enough to make the South Zone side, let alone the national one. If Kumble is picked over Powar, that will be the greatest injustice committed by the Indian selectors in the past year. Venugopal Rao is not meant for ODIs; if anyone, Badrinath should get the call-up. Raina will get more opportunities and deservedly so, but I'll accept that I might be rather biased in making that call.

Well it's a bit of a joke that YoMahesh is in the team ahead of Vinay Kumar but anyway....I didn't say Kumble was to be picked at the xpense of Powar, if India decide to pick 3 spinners (which is conceivable for the West Indies) Kumble's probably still the 3rd best spin option around
Badrinath, yeah he's worth a shot....

 

[adharcric]

Field someone else at short leg then....it's not an insurmountable problem.....I'd like to see Kaif get an extended run in the team beacuse he has shown he can get runs against good attacks when India have their backs to the wall....

I think it's two spinners you meant....obviously there's going to be some discretion exercised on that count, but If a pitch takes turn (and it's not inconceivable in South Africa), I'd play the two spinners....
Let's face it, I can't really see Harby bowling any worse than our 3rd seamer and if we do manage to bat first and set the Saffies something decent to chase, I'm sure they wouldn't relish doing so against KUmble and Harbhajan.

VRV is simply too raw ....he'd be better off going on the A tour to RSA in March next year and playing domestic cricket....
ATM, I'd take Balaji over him....

See, the short-leg issue is one reason why the Jaffer for Gambhir swap hurt us. Gambhir was excellent at short-leg. I thought Jaffer would field there, but he rarely ever does it.
As petty as it might seem, the short-leg position is pretty damn important for us in test matches.
IMO, Munaf, Sreesanth and Zaheer are not rubbish by any means and are actually dangerous seamers. They'll do better than Bhajji if the pitches suit seamers.
VRV is too raw but he's still better than Balaji. Anyways, let's leave them both out and work on real problems, shall we?

 

[adharcric]

Well it's a bit of a joke that YoMahesh is in the team ahead of Vinay Kumar but anyway....I didn't say Kumble was to be picked at the xpense of Powar, if India decide to pick 3 spinners (which is conceivable for the West Indies) Kumble's probably still the 3rd best spin option around
Badrinath, yeah he's worth a shot....

While there is a chance they'll pick 3 spinners for the World Cup, it's unlikely because it will really weaken other areas in our team.
There's no way they'll take three spinners to South Africa, which is what we're discussing here.

 

[Gajanayake]

See, the short-leg issue is one reason why the Jaffer for Gambhir swap hurt us. Gambhir was excellent at short-leg. I thought Jaffer would field there, but he rarely ever does it.
As petty as it might seem, the short-leg position is pretty damn important for us in test matches.
IMO, Munaf, Sreesanth and Zaheer are not rubbish by any means and are actually dangerous seamers. They'll do better than Bhajji if the pitches suit seamers.
VRV is too raw but he's still better than Balaji. Anyways, let's leave them both out and work on real problems, shall we?

Zaheer Khan is a rubbish test match bowler....I only picked him due to the fact India don't have any other options.

 

[Poker Boy]

This is an important series for India. People say for England to be the No 2 Test side we have to prove ourselves in Asia. True - but I reckon for India to be the No 2 Test side they have to prove themselves in SA. where they have never won. At the start of the year I'd have quite fancied their chances but the batting has been poor most of this year and Schewag needs to find form. IMO neither Gambir or Jaffer convince and India can't afford to be, say 20-2. As a nuetral, a couple of questions: Should India play two spinners in the Tests regarless of conditions on the basis that Harbajhan and Kumble are among their best four bowlers? And I read somewhere someone suggesting that Shaun Pollock is not an automatic pick for SA in Tests - so SA fans: should he take the new ball, come on first change as in Second SL Test or would you drop him and play Ntini, Nel and Steyn as the pace attack if all are fit?

 

[Arjun]

This is an important series for India. People say for England to be the No 2 Test side we have to prove ourselves in Asia. True - but I reckon for India to be the No 2 Test side they have to prove themselves in SA. where they have never won. At the start of the year I'd have quite fancied their chances but the batting has been poor most of this year and Schewag needs to find form. IMO neither Gambir or Jaffer convince and India can't afford to be, say 20-2. As a nuetral, a couple of questions: Should India play two spinners in the Tests regarless of conditions on the basis that Harbajhan and Kumble are among their best four bowlers? And I read somewhere someone suggesting that Shaun Pollock is not an automatic pick for SA in Tests - so SA fans: should he take the new ball, come on first change as in Second SL Test or would you drop him and play Ntini, Nel and Steyn as the pace attack if all are fit?

You mentioned Gambhir and Jaffer, frankly Gambhir should make the side. Jaffer's a slow-scoring flat-track hero and not much else. That keeps him out of one-dayers, while Gambhir is good enough to make both.

They'll need five bowlers, not four, if they have to win the series. If one spinner and three seamers play, the Proteas will play the seamers with ease and the lone spinner will struggle without support. If they play two seamers and two spinners, the two seamers will run out of steam when they're doing well and the spinners will struggle without support from the surface. As for the batting, they are simply not capable of outscoring the opposition even in two innings, even with six specialist batsmen.

That said, Harbhajan is bowling like a part-timer and not a striker as of now. He bowls a lot faster, flatter, landing the ball straight with a thud. On the other hand, the unfancied offie Powar has been bowling like a striker, flighting the ball, varying his pace and turning the ball. He should make the team alongside Kumble.

As for Pollock, playing him first-change, or worse, dropping him, would be catastrophic. Steyn and Nel don't have the experience or the know-how to lead the attack.

 

[Arjun]

Going by form in the ongoing Duleep Trophy, Zaheer and Joginder Sharma (especially for ODI's) should get a recall. For the Tests, a combination of Zaheer-Irfan-Sreesanth-Kumble-Powar with Harbhajan and Munaf as reserves will do just fine. For ODI's, they can choose Joginder as the fourth seamer in place of Kumble, but it will be a long time before Munaf gets another ODI, given his dreadful fielding in the last match.

 

[Arjun]

If Sehwag gets owned in tonight's match against the Aussies, I'd be glad to see him dropped from the one-day side, but we both know that it's unlikely given what an established figure he is. Joginder Sharma is someone I'd like to see getting picked in the future, but he won't find a place right now. As for Laxman, I'm afraid he's a gone case but let's see.

On to your other options. Vinay Kumar isn't even good enough to make the South Zone side, let alone the national one. If Kumble is picked over Powar, that will be the greatest injustice committed by the Indian selectors in the past year. Venugopal Rao is not meant for ODIs; if anyone, Badrinath should get the call-up. Raina will get more opportunities and deservedly so, but I'll accept that I might be rather biased in making that call.

What are your comments on an ODI team minus Sehwag, with Gambhir and Tendulkar opening the innings? Gambhir adds more value with his superior fielding and is also a Test prospect, unlike Robin Uthappa.

Given Munaf's dreadful fielding and nonexistent batting, Joginder Sharma deserves a recall rightaway. What he has done wrong, we don't know. He's bowled decently but was a little too slow, and his batting and fielding were superb in the matches he got, yet he was dropped way too soon. The anti-all-rounder perception of the team management pre-Chappell has never helped, and currently, he can give the current seamers a good run for their money on his bowling alone. In fact, he may be a surprise pace option, bowling a lot faster than expected.

Laxman may be superior to the likes of Yuvraj, Kaif and Raina, but the weak Indian fielding was found out in the last Champions Trophy match, so that makes him a lot less relevant. Badrinath may have a tough time even making a selection of seven batsmen, although if Sehwag is out, he may sneak in. The idea to recall Dinesh Mongia has backfired badly, and hopefully the people in charge (the selectors, Chappell, Dravid and that deranged Officer) will get their priorities right.

 

[adharcric]

it will be a long time before Munaf gets another ODI, given his dreadful fielding in the last match.

I didn't see his fielding in the last match, but that's the biggest load of bull you've thrown around of late Arjun.
Munaf is our best seamer and will start every match from now to the World Cup if fit and bowling well.

 

[adharcric]

Rather unsurprisingly, Sehwag made his valuable knock just as he was on the verge of being dropped and now has to be retained in the one-day side. He better perform in South Africa. According to Cricinfo, India will take seven batsmen in the one-day side. Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid, Mongia, Raina and Kaif are sure to make it; Sehwag just made his score, Mongia has done well with bat and ball so far and Raina will be persisted with for one more series simply because of his batting talent and presence in the field. Instead of taking Gambhir as the seventh batsman and reserve opener, I think the selectors will opt for yet another middle-order bat to pressure the likes of Mongia, Raina and Kaif ahead of the World Cup. This should be either Laxman or Badrinath. Whoever makes the cut, it's important that the team management choose playing XIs in South Africa based on who's performing well and nothing else.

Among the seamers, Pathan, Munaf, Sreesanth and Zaheer are the obvious choices. After that, Nehra looks out of touch and so does Balaji to an extent. The selectors could opt for Joginder Sharma, but more likely they'll go for VRV Singh. Powar should stay in the side ahead of Kumble, but if the selectors do plan on bringing Kumble back for the World Cup they really ought to bring him right now. Otherwise, we might bring back the champion bowler and realize that he's horribly out of touch in one-day cricket. Imagine how stupid we'll feel about dropping a class act like Powar then.

 

[adharcric]

In fact, I'd take Joginder Sharma over VRV Singh simply because the former will provide more flexibility. If Pathan is woefully out-of-form during the series, we can bench him, bring in Sharma and still have a stong bowling attack ... something like Zaheer-Sreesanth-Munaf-Joginder-Harbhajan-Mongia. Besides, VRV is a legitimate prospect for the test side so he's better off getting match practice in the Duleep Trophy. Same applies for guys like Gambhir and perhaps even Laxman.

 

[adharcric]

India ODI Squad Named

R Dravid (c), V Sehwag, S Tendulkar, W Jaffer, M Kaif, S Raina, D Mongia, MS Dhoni (wk), I Pathan, M Patel, S Sreesanth, Z Khan, H Singh, A Kumble

VRV Singh and Dinesh Karthik are on standby for Ajit Agarkar and Yuvraj Singh.

W Jaffer getting selected is pretty stupid; if anyone, Gambhir should've been selected as the reserve opener. Everything else is fine but one has to feel for Powar who has been tremendous for India and still gotten the axe, albeit for an all-time great in Kumble.

 

[Dravid]

Zaheer and Kumble got selected makes me happy. Gambhir not selected and Jaffer who is a test batsman selected makes me mad. Raina is in the squad and Gambhir isn't makes me even more mad. No Powar also makes me mad

 

[R_D]

Zaheer and Kumble got selected makes me happy. Gambhir not selected and Jaffer who is a test batsman selected makes me mad. Raina is in the squad and Gambhir isn't makes me even more mad. No Powar also makes me mad

Feel for powar... he has doen nothing wrong but you can understand him being left out. Don't need more than 2 spinners in South Africa.
But why not Gambhir and why Raina is still there is still a mystery to me. The guy needs to play domestic cricket, he's not ready for international cricket yet. Why was Jaffer picked for ODI.

Lets see if Zaheer actually performce for india.

 

[Dravid]

Only reason I can see Gambhir not being selected after seeing his performance is politics. I really don't want that to be the reason so someone please prove me wrong.

 

[adharcric]

Well Vengsarkar gave his explanations. Jafffer over Gambhir because his technique is better for South Africa's bouncy, seaming tracks. Raina stays because he needs to be groomed and has tons of potential. He's not doing well, but the management obviously sees a lot in him and they're going to back him. I hope he comes good in this series.

The reasons are fine, but I would have taken Gambhir over Jaffer as well. He's been in fine form lately. He better make the test squad at least.

 

[Arjun]

Aboslutely dreadful selection. What on earth has Ramesh Powar done wrong that he's dropped, while less deserving batsmen and bowlers still stay on? The recall of Zaheer Khan was the only good thing about this selection, but going back to Anil Kumble over Ramesh Powar was a step backward. They've picked Dinesh Karthik and VRV Singh, neither of whom will make the playing XI on most occasions. Then the Chairman of Selectors complains that there's not enough to pick in Indian domestic cricket. If the people in charge want to take the Indian team back to the dark ages, what can the domestic scene provide? People complain about Chappell, but this is even worse.

 

[Perm]

I was very suprised to be see Anil Kumble being recalled to the Indian ODI side, especially considering Ramesh Powar has performed quite well and hasn't done anything to warrant being dropped. Zaheer Khan deserves a spot after his very impressive season in County Cricket with Worcestershire and RP Singh still has time on his hands. I'm not sure whether Suresh Raina should be there and I have my reservations about whether he is good enough to play at this level but like Vengsarkar said they are grooming him and he should be a very good player in the future, this is a very big tour for him personally.

 

[adharcric]

Aboslutely dreadful selection. What on earth has Ramesh Powar done wrong that he's dropped, while less deserving batsmen and bowlers still stay on? The recall of Zaheer Khan was the only good thing about this selection, but going back to Anil Kumble over Ramesh Powar was a step backward. They've picked Dinesh Karthik and VRV Singh, neither of whom will make the playing XI on most occasions. Then the Chairman of Selectors complains that there's not enough to pick in Indian domestic cricket. If the people in charge want to take the Indian team back to the dark ages, what can the domestic scene provide? People complain about Chappell, but this is even worse.

There are some issues with the selection, but it's by no means dreadful. Powar has done nothing to deserve this, but Kumble is the experienced match-winner for India and if he's going to be needed for the World Cup you really ought to bring him back now so he has time to get settled in. The real problem was when the selectors kept persisting with a dreadful Murali Kartik over Powar; regardless, I can see Powar returning after the World Cup.

They've picked Dinesh Karthik because it's a foreign tour and you need insurance. I wouldn't do it because I don't see Dhoni getting injured, but if the selectors feel like it I can't blame them too much. As for VRV Singh, he's fifth in line and likely won't get any playing time, but again it's for insurance. We may play four seamers on occasion so there's nothing wrong with having five in the squad.

The only thing I don't like about the selection is the inclusion of Jaffer over Gambhir. Jaffer has accomplished absolutely nothing in one-day cricket, while Gambhir has done a lot and is in fine form at the moment. He's done everything asked of him by the selectors on the domestic and A-level circuits and still hasn't gotten his spot. That said, if he returns to the test side justice will be served somewhat.

 

[adharcric]

IMO this is pretty much what our World Cup squad will look like, keeping Agarkar and Yuvraj in and bringing in Gambhir for Jaffer.