*Official* India Tour of Australia 2018/19

[Gob]

yes this sounds a lot like the tendulkar-dravid argument...pujara is a terrific player but kohli is just a significantly superior batsman...

Cant think of a better place to make my CW second debut. Poopjara is a deliciously good batsman but Virat i suppose is the closest thing we've seen to Viv. Maybe Ponting at his peak but Virat definitely strikes far greater fear to opponents than Poopjara

 

[Cow Corner]

In South Africa, Virat scored 286 in 6 innings at an average of 47.7. Next best was De Villiers with 211 at an average of 35. Kohli was so ridiculously head and shoulders above everyone in that series. Pujara averaged 16 in 3 tests.

Then, he goes on to back that up with 593 runs in 10 innings at an average of 59 in England! Next best was Buttler with 349 runs...insane performance from Kohli. Pujara averaged 39.

Now in Australia...in a series where he's been "quiet", he's still averaging above 40 and has scored way more than anyone else in the Aussie team so far.

I'm sorry but so far, Virat has outclassed Pujara in the past 2/3 years. Kohli went to another level from 2016 onwards. In 2016, he averaged 76 in tests. In 2017, he averaged 75 and in 2018 where the ball dominated the bat in almost every series across South Africa, England and a lesser extent Australia he averaged 55!

 

[Furball]

Anyone who thinks Pujara is better than Kohli is silly.

 

[Anil]

Cant think of a better place to make my CW second debut. Poopjara is a deliciously good batsman but Virat i suppose is the closest thing we've seen to Viv. Maybe Ponting at his peak but Virat definitely strikes far greater fear to opponents than Poopjara

i don't understand the pujara hate but whatever...

 

[SeamUp]

i don't understand the pujara hate but whatever...

There has been loads of ChePu doubt on here in recent years. I definitely remember calls to drop him in SA and England but no doubt he has put that to bed.

Going through the old most talented batsman thread did bring a smile to my face though. There was massive love for him. I appreciate the guy and what he does for India. So I enjoyed that.

But Virat is definitely a different level.

 

[Tom Flint]

Pujara's form this series just makes his county stint at Yorkshire even more baffling. Also makes a mockery of how people slate the standard of the county championship

 

[wpdavid]

After losing 2 of their first 3 they were pretty long odds

Yeah, but I think that's different to going into a tournament as outsiders. I don't think anyone was silly enough not to rate the 1999 Australian line-up after a couple of poor performances.

1987 was another matter. India and Pakistan were more fancied because the WC was being played in the SC, WI had won 2 and been runners up in the previous 3 and England were seen as a better bet after recent results between the two sides. Aus would have been vying for 5th favourite with NZ and only SL from the test playing sides below those two. Actually that may be unfair to NZ given their results in the 1980s. But either way, nobody fancied Australia's chances at all.

 

[srbhkshk]

Pujara's form this series just makes his county stint at Yorkshire even more baffling. Also makes a mockery of how people slate the standard of the county championship

I think he just wasn't in a great state of mind at that point of time, the hundred in England probably helped him with that. Certainly a better batsman than what he managed in the County.

 

[Anil]

There has been loads of ChePu doubt on here in recent years. I definitely remember calls to drop him in SA and England but no doubt he has put that to bed.

Going through the old most talented batsman thread did bring a smile to my face though. There was massive love for him. I appreciate the guy and what he does for India. So I enjoyed that.

But Virat is definitely a different level.

i guess i wasn't clear enough...he called him poopjara in his post, that is all i was referring to...i agree with everything you said...

 

[silentstriker]

I’d expect better insults from my eight year old cousin.

 

[Bolo]

Pujara lacks #intent. Not cut out for the fast paced world of tests.

 

[Burgey]

Has Australia ever won when they were the underdogs? I can't ever recall something like that happening although I've never watched a WC in which they were not stupidly strong.

1987

 

[NUFAN]

Virat - Vaughan - Pujara - Amla

 

[Burgey]

CA cites lack of consistent output from Lynn, Head and Short in ODIs as a reason for disposing with them, but retains Mitch Marsh. Bloke must have the biggest mortgage in Australia and they feel sorry for him

 

[ma1978]

Pujara is a fine enough batsman and he has been huge this series, but he is an order of magnitude below KohlI. The Kohli centuries in Centurion, Edgbaston and Perth were a different level.

My hypothesis is that the CW crowd tends to cerebral nerd and can therefore relate to Pujara who is an unathletlic striver. Kohli's natural brilliance is much harder to relate to.

 

[stephen]

CA cites lack of consistent output from Lynn, Head and Short in ODIs as a reason for disposing with them, but retains Mitch Marsh. Bloke must have the biggest mortgage in Australia and they feel sorry for him

I don't mind M Marsh for limited over sides tbf. He can swing the bat.

 

[Jarquis]

Definitely wouldn’t be the worst idea from an Australian PoV to give somebody a rest and use it as an opportunity to blood Tremain or Richardson. Otherwise I envisage a scenario where somebody cracks themselves before the Ashes and you basically force yourselves to go with Siddle - if they weren’t already keen enough on that idea.

 

[Grasshopper]

Nah don't mind when you guys big the NZ team up like this tbh. It's like when a 5'4", 120lb bloke fronts up to you for looking at his girl. You don't get offended or annoyed, just appreciate the cuteness.

Thanks for proving my point lol.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

So looks like it'll be 50/1

 

[slippy888]

How many test series at home have Australia lost in the last 20 years i can only think of 3 2 to South Africa and 1 to England.