*Official* India in South Africa

[Jono]

If by trolls you mean those of us who doubted India would win, you can put me in that group, here I am

Haha nah not at all. Don't classify you as a troll, I just disagree with some of what you have said, and hopefully this test shows that, just as much as the first test showed me up in parts with my argument that our bowling would be fine throughout. It was only fine with Zaheer

I'm referring to some other obvious posters.

 

[Shri]

Is Zaheer our actual captain? Field settings look way better when he plays. Dhoni looks more like player/manager.

 

[Jono]

Apparently Zaheer plays a large part in the bowling plans.

 

[Cevno]

Not at all. Actually, I reckon they could potentially be okay to Yadav, because he has got a bit of pace, but as for Mithun and Unadkat who at 80mph and do not move the ball - yeh, it could be brutal. As much as I despise him, I'd happily have Sreesanth in the team over any of those three (you can add Ishant to that too, actually).

My ideal situation would be to have an attack of Zaheer, Munaf, Praveen and Harbhajan. Praveen can bowl extensively with the new ball and then perhaps bowl with the wicket keeper up to the stumps in an attritional role, otherwise. Praveen can bolster the batting too. Actually, thinking about it, perhaps R Vinay Kumar would be a better pick than Praveen, as he has that 5kph extra that will make him less useless with the old ball, but again, I'm not too sure.

Actually both of them will move it more than Yadav in helpful conditions.

And Praveen swings it easily more than Vinay Kumar and can swing it a mile in helpful conditions.

 

[Shri]

The more I think about it, the more I am weary about picking Praveen. After the first spell, he tends to drop to around 120kph which is pretty damn slow for Test cricket. Do not really remember anyone doing well at that pace at Test cricket other than perhaps Chaminda Vaas.

Mohd Asif?

 

[Cevno]

And here is a thought -

How about Irfan Pathan in english conditions?

He can swing it in helpful conditions and was MOTM last time he played in helpful conditions at Perth. Can bat too.

Know won't happen ,but wouldn't mind it if it did.

 

[Black_Warrior]

Is Zaheer our actual captain? Field settings look way better when he plays. Dhoni looks more like player/manager.

Well I think I read somewhere that Dhoni allows the bowler himself to set the field..esp if its someone senior like Zaheer

 

[Cevno]

Mark my words, these two -Ishant and Sree- will disappear off the radar soon after Zaheer retires if they don't grow up as bowlers.

Don't think so.

Who would get ahead of them according to you?

 

[Shri]

Don't think so.

Who would get ahead of them according to you?

Lots of guys who play 5 tests max until the next Zaheer is found.

 

[Jono]

And here is a thought -

How about Irfan Pathan in english conditions?

He can swing it in helpful conditions and was MOTM last time he played in helpful conditions at Perth. Can bat too.

Know won't happen ,but wouldn't mind it if it did.

Firstly, Perth was January 2008. Long long time ago.

Secondly, Perth is totally different to English conditions. Not even remotely similar.

The less we see of Irfan in international cricket the better.

 

[vcs]

We all remember the Durban debacle from 14 years ago. Cricinfo's article remembers that and contrasts the Indian team then and now:
South Africa v India: India exorcise demons of 1996 | Cricket Features | South Africa v India | ESPN Cricinfo

Things have certainly come a long way from those dark days, but TBF, we still looked like minnows for the first two days at Centurion. Donald-Pollock-Klusener-McMillan was a magnificent bowling lineup and far too good for us, however embarrassing it felt at the time. Better than SA's current bowling lineup.

 

[Teja.]

...look who says...

Haha, been a bit of confusion over the past 2 days.

I don't rate Sree(The bowler he is right now, that is) at all and was calling or his dropping since the beginning of the NZ tour. However, I ****ing love him to bits and will have his babies.

 

[vcs]

Sree has this frustrating habit of chucking in some sheer brilliant quality among piles and piles of utter rubbish.

 

[Jono]

Though annoying, the team can afford that if it has three (or at the very least, two) other bowlers who are doing their job consistently well. That is almost never the case with India though.

Zaheer is an out and out gun, but often injured.

I don't think you can complain about Harbhajan. When the pitch isn't a highway he performs well.

Ishant is poo, and has also turned into a no-baller

So when Sree is rubbish, it is so costly to the team.

 

[vcs]

Though annoying, the team can afford that if it has three (or at the very least, two) other bowlers who are doing their job consistently well. That is almost never the case with India though.

Zaheer is an out and out gun, but often injured.

I don't think you can complain about Harbhajan. When the pitch isn't a highway he performs well.

Ishant is poo, and has also turned into a no-baller

So when Sree is rubbish, it is so costly to the team.

Yep. Really missing Sehwag's bowling recently as well, and the Sachin from the 90s-early 2000s who was a very useful partnership-breaker.

 

[Manee]

Actually both of them will move it more than Yadav in helpful conditions.

Never meant to say otherwise, just that Yadav may just about escape the SkySports treatment because has some pace.

And Praveen swings it easily more than Vinay Kumar and can swing it a mile in helpful conditions.

Yes, but I doubt he can swing the ball from 0 overs old all the way to 90 overs old and he could be fodder when it doesn't swing. Swinging the new ball makes him better than Ishant, who is useless with new and old ball but not better than all of our other options, imo.

 

[Manee]

Sree has this frustrating habit of chucking in some sheer brilliant quality among piles and piles of utter rubbish.

But was it 'sheer brilliant quality' or was it three wickets; one of which was an abhorrent shot (Amla), one which was a rash shot, possibly induced by sledging (Smith) and one being a brute which he will never reproduce (Kallis).

 

[Manee]

Yep. Really missing Sehwag's bowling recently as well, and the Sachin from the 90s-early 2000s who was a very useful partnership-breaker.

A fit Sehwag, in the right conditions, is better than Harbhajan. He is incredibly valuable to the Test team as a bowler. Hope his shoulder is all better for West Indies and England series.

 

[Jono]

But was it 'sheer brilliant quality' or was it three wickets; one of which was an abhorrent shot (Amla), one which was a rash shot, possibly induced by sledging (Smith) and one being a brute which he will never reproduce (Kallis).

To be perfectly honest, it wasn't the wicket balls which made Sree's spell awesome. It was the consistent deliveries outside off and swinging into stumps at pace which impressed me.

And I'm a massive Sree hater.

 

[Manee]

To be perfectly honest, it wasn't the wicket balls which made Sree's spell awesome. It was the consistent deliveries outside off and swinging into stumps at pace which impressed me.

And I'm a massive Sree hater.

Oh yeh, it was a good spell. He looked in good rhythm, swinging it and pace up to 140kph. However, if 3 wickets, one of which was a good ball (albeit a great ball) was Sreesanth at his very best, then perhaps the inconsistency isn't worth putting up with. But then...there is a chance, one which I reluctantly admit, that he may be one of our best, outside of Zaheer.