***Official*** India in West Indies

[Neil Pickup]

He's not in the side.

I've been sat on my **** in front of the TV for the last nine hours and I haven't even managed to pick that up. I'm clearly semi-conscious.

 

[adharcric]

Draw. Yuvraj should play himself in for the next match.

 

[adharcric]

So, should it be Yuvraj or Pathan for the decider?

 

[adharcric]

Ganga MOM, I'm out for now ... back for the final test at Kingston

 

[ramu]

Last five overs have yielded nine runs -- this is unacceptable.

INIDAN ARE SCARED i hate them

 

[aussie]

hopefully Kingston has some pace & bounce & a result is produced, got a feeling it will be in the windies favour.

 

[Rajeev]

INIDAN ARE SCARED i hate them

There are no field restrictions and bowler has the freedom to bowl either side without being penalized for an extra run, its not a one-day game. They can't just flash at everything and get into a position where Windies can bowl out the tail

They tried, sensible batting but then found out that its a bit too much and just played for a draw

Facing follow-on and coming close to victory is still pretty good

 

[roseboy64]

Pedro Collins is nowhere as quick as Fidel Edwards. No comparison really. Collins is more of a finesse bowler.

Best has been rubbish for about two years now, as he's forgotten that bowling effectively requires more than just flat out pace. Jermaine Lawson is even less effective at the moment though. He's been largely reduced to medium pace and does nothing with the ball anymore.

Andrew Richardson for mine.

Apparently Lawson has been bowling well recently. Saw him last month in the last session of a gamke and he was bowling at good pace so Lara's not totally bonkers there.

 

[adharcric]

Take your pick: extra batsman or extra bowler?

For three tests now, the Indian attack has been unable to take twenty wickets. Surely, the rain and Brian Jerling had a large part to play, but no one can deny that this attack isn't quite as penetrative as it should be. This leaves the option of five bowlers for Kingston, where we just might see a pitch that supports the seamers. Considering the risk involved in such a strategy, it's obvious that Irfan Pathan is the man that comes in. Now, who should go out? At the start of the series, it would've been Laxman or Kaif. Now, the man is Yuvraj ... and this coming from a huge fan. So, do you take Yuvraj or Pathan?

Some things to consider ...
- Yuvraj is our best short-leg fielder and we've all seen Kaif's magic over there
- Pathan may not be in the best form with the ball, but VRV can't be an option if we want to keep a formidable lower-order
- The pitch should support the bowlers more this time around, so would we want to keep six specialist batsmen to make sure we don't get bowled out for low totals?

Personally, I like the five-bowler strategy but when the fifth bowler isn't in great form, I'll prefer the extra batsman. Quality beats quantity for me, and Sehwag and Yuvraj can relieve the strike bowlers.

 

[Dasa]

- The pitch should support the bowlers more this time around

Wasn't that said about this pitch as well? Turned out to be the worst of the series so far.

Personally, I like the five-bowler strategy but when the fifth bowler isn't in great form, I'll prefer the extra batsman. Quality beats quantity for me, and Sehwag and Yuvraj can relieve the strike bowlers.

I agree with that. Pathan hasn't been bowling that well of late, and he isn't reliable enough at 7 with Dhoni at 6.

 

[adharcric]

Wasn't that said about this pitch as well? Turned out to be the worst of the series so far.

Well yeah, but I'm getting the dangerous Pakistan sensation going into this match. Flat tracks to ensure draws for the first few matches and a greentop for the decider. Except this time, the draws have been near-victories and in the 2nd test, should've been a victory for India.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Wasn't that said about this pitch as well? Turned out to be the worst of the series so far.

Except that all the grass was cut off a day or two before the match. Initially Mr. Atkinson forgot that it's sin for West Indian pitches to support the bowlers.

 

[Dasa]

Interesting comment from Taufel.

 

[silentstriker]

For three tests now, the Indian attack has been unable to take twenty wickets. Surely, the rain and Brian Jerling had a large part to play, but no one can deny that this attack isn't quite as penetrative as it should be.

Exactly. Been saying that from Test 1.

I know quantity over quality is normally a bad idea, but since we have no quality, we must rely on quantity. You are hoping that out of five bowlers, two or three will bowl well enough to take 20 wickets.

It's the last test of the series, so in the end we have to decide if we're willing to take a chance on losing the series in order to win it. I would rather lose 0-1 and go down trying to take 20 wickets than play it safe and go 0-0. I want my series victory outside the subcontinent damn it, twenty years is too long a time for a country like India. If it means we lose a series...so be it. We're used to that overseas. With five bowlers, your chance of losing increases...but so does your chance of winning. ANd I want to go for the win more than I want to avoid a loss.

 

[adharcric]

Here's the thing. Whenever we've played VRV or Pathan in this series, they've been used very little either due to lack of form or lack of experience. If Dravid doesn't have confidence in these guys to perform as strike bowlers, they aren't any good for our attack. If it's just about providing relief, then we have Sehwag and Yuvraj quite capable of doing that. In the end, Dravid and Chappell know best how Pathan is doing with the ball. We just have to wait till the day of the match and sing to the tune of the pitch.

 

[Jono]

Once again, if its a greentop there is LESS need for five bowlers, as there is more likelihood for the four bowlers to take 20 wickets rather than on a flat pitch.

I don't understand your theory. Its illogical.

Really it should be either its 5 bowlers no matter what the pitch, or only 4 bowlers if the pitch is bowler friendly. Not 5 only if the pitch is green.

 

[adharcric]

My bad, I just contradicted what I said yesterday. Fell into the trap (I guess?) of thinking that three seamers can take advantage of a greentop better than two seamers can. Yeah that doesn't make too much sense, a greentop warrants six batsmen more than a flat track does.

 

[marc71178]

Interesting comment from Taufel.

Makes a lot of sense in a way though.

I guess it doesn't even help Kumble that he doesn't tend to turn it as much either, since the umpire can't see the turn in such a short time?

 

[adharcric]

Taufel's just trying to defend Jerling's incompetence. The difference between ordinary umpires and elite panel umpires should be that the latter can make sound judgments at a fast-paced level, so Kumble's speed really shouldn't be an issue for top-class umpires. Jerling just sucks.

 

[adharcric]

Makes a lot of sense in a way though.

I guess it doesn't even help Kumble that he doesn't tend to turn it as much either, since the umpire can't see the turn in such a short time?

So if Kumble doesn't turn it much, adjudging his lbw shouts should be like doing so for a seamer right? If these umpires can make good decisions for seamers bowling at 140 kph, why not Kumble at 100 kph?