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**Official** India v Pakistan
- Thread starter dudeurfriend
- Start date
SJS
Hall of Fame Member
Yes its good that the players selected have a few runs/wickets in a match situation but thats about it. I dont thinlk this is about justifying there selection.adharcric said:
What will you say if Kaif gets an 80 odd against Sami and company today. I dont think Yuvraj's runs justify his selection. They just show that he is in decent nick.
What is Inzi/Woolmer upto ?? Pakistan bowling attack of Sami,Rana,Razzak and Danish simply cannot bowl out India, infact it cannot bowl out most of the international teams .If Pakistan goes into the first match with such an attack then the result would be either an Indian win or a draw.
Pak will have to play specialist in Arshad or Khaleel, no point in going in test matches with just 3 specialist bowlers.
Pak will have to play specialist in Arshad or Khaleel, no point in going in test matches with just 3 specialist bowlers.
vandemataram
Banned
Well Indian BP are 79 for one, Kaif and co are hammering Pak bowlers with ease 
.
Pakistan are proving to be a no-challenge to even the second string side.With a brittle batting and crap bowling Pakistan simply don't stand a chance against Indian national team.
.Pakistan are proving to be a no-challenge to even the second string side.With a brittle batting and crap bowling Pakistan simply don't stand a chance against Indian national team.
vandemataram
Banned
BP are 91-1 with Kaif racing towards his fifty, unfortunately bad light stop plays.
..no they don't, were you a member? I have been there for a year and don;t remember youArjun said:
Whats your account, I will fix it
Email me: inningsdefeat@hotmail.com
SJS
Hall of Fame Member
"Our batting order for the Tests is fixed. There are no changes from No. 3 to No. 6," Ganguly told BBC Sport. "Dravid has batted better than Laxman at No. 3 and if you ask any batsman, he would like to bat higher up, as it gives a greater opportunity to score. While batting lower down the order, you have to play more with the tail."
Ganguly ruled out the possibility of using Yuvraj as an opener. "I feel there is no born opener - the team has to find one. Look at Justin Langer, he was not an opener, but how well the Aussies have groomed him. Virender Sehwag is a settled opener now both in Tests and one-dayers, and Gautam Gambhir is doing well. In a year's time, we should have a settled opening pair."
As expected Yuvraj is not playing.
Ganguly ruled out the possibility of using Yuvraj as an opener. "I feel there is no born opener - the team has to find one. Look at Justin Langer, he was not an opener, but how well the Aussies have groomed him. Virender Sehwag is a settled opener now both in Tests and one-dayers, and Gautam Gambhir is doing well. In a year's time, we should have a settled opening pair."
As expected Yuvraj is not playing.
Arjun
Cricketer Of The Year
Yuvraj in form is good stuff. He is a hard hitter of the ball and if he gets set, he can be a dangerous player. He's not as bad against spinners as his last few international matches suggest- on his day, he can take them apart, but he needs to watch the ball closely and play his shots carefully. Batting at number 6/7 in the final overs in ODI's may have hampered his development as a batsman, so it's good to see him batting higher up in LA's and getting lots of runs at a phenomenal strike rate of over 70. However, he is not an opener by any means and should not be sent back there.adharcric said:
I cannot say much about Balaji's bowling since I have not seen footage, but reports say he's a lot less diagonal and now attacks the stumps. That's a welcome cahnge, but he needs to pitch the ball further up. He still bowls a wide too many. Nehra bowled well in his first match and on the first innings of the next, but that ER is disappointing. Not to mention he bowled rubbish in the next innigns- this is something he needs to avoid if he should get more matches for India as a strike bowler. Bhajji's average in the match was disappointing (though 9 less than Nehra's) but he's returning to form.
Dinesh Karthik may have had a decent match with the gloves, but not so with the bat. He got a start, with 59, but he struggled to score quickly in either innings. However, he's had a good game with the gloves and that should keep him in the side, runs or no runs. Balaji has been in decent form with the bat, but he too got out for not too many in the next innings.
About your choice of playing XI, Yuvraj is most likely to sit out, though ideally, you could have him in place of Ganguly- the fieldign would be boosted and so would the scoring rate, but practically, there can be no change. Gambhir should attack once in a while, but more often, he should rotate the strike and let Sehwag face the next ball. If he sees any loose balls, he should free his arms. Rubbish from spinners must be dealt with severly, the way he attacked Peterson in Kanpur.
Laxman may play at three, where he can be most active. He likes the ball coming on the bat, so he can just tap the ball around and score quickly. Another suggested change would be having Pathan and Balaji at positions 7 and 8, to accelerate the scoring and hit lots of big shots. A pity MS Dhoni doesn't play.
The top four of the bowling attack may be a hot topic of discussion- which two play of Zaheer, Balaji, Nehra and Harbhajan, but the fifth bowler is also very important. If you keep bowling the same four bowlers repeatedly, not only will they get tired, but the opposition will get set easily against them. Three or four overs must be cut from each of them and go to the same man, mostly Sehwag. He should hold the ball back and pitch it fully, or slide it in straight. He's just supposed to bowl wicket-to-wicket.
Arjun
Cricketer Of The Year
As regards the opposition, when the Indians come out to bat, they should be watchful against Mohammed Sami. Express pace on both sides of the wicket may seem tempting, but he is, after all, express pace, so he might shoot some straight through open gates before the Indians can react. Laxman and Ganguly are weak links here, so they should keep watch harder.
The batsmen should target Naved-ul-hasan and take as many runs as possible, as if it's an ODI. He's often prone to bowling spells of utter rubbish, which is when they must get at him. Don't give away easy wickets. Take as many singles, build partnerships, till he starts bowling loose ones, then attack. If a repeat of what happened last year in Karachi is around the corner, they may attack from ball one. Or will it be no-ball one?
Abdul Razzaq is another target. He's only medium-pace and he's spraying the ball all over, so the harder hitters in the side should be ready. Danish Kaneria is their dark horse, so he should be kept away from the tail as much as possible. Build partnerships against him when he's bowling.
However, despite Razzaq's problems with the ball, he's still a dangerous batsman, even at as low as number 8. Don't give any width, keep it straight, and swing the ball away or inward, alternately. He's not so good against spinners, so Kumble will have a major role to play. Inzamam must be kept off strike as much as possible, while his strike partner should be kept under pressure. They can do well to avoid giving away extra runs to Kamran Akmal- he can bat, and score quickly.
The batsmen should target Naved-ul-hasan and take as many runs as possible, as if it's an ODI. He's often prone to bowling spells of utter rubbish, which is when they must get at him. Don't give away easy wickets. Take as many singles, build partnerships, till he starts bowling loose ones, then attack. If a repeat of what happened last year in Karachi is around the corner, they may attack from ball one. Or will it be no-ball one?
Abdul Razzaq is another target. He's only medium-pace and he's spraying the ball all over, so the harder hitters in the side should be ready. Danish Kaneria is their dark horse, so he should be kept away from the tail as much as possible. Build partnerships against him when he's bowling.
However, despite Razzaq's problems with the ball, he's still a dangerous batsman, even at as low as number 8. Don't give any width, keep it straight, and swing the ball away or inward, alternately. He's not so good against spinners, so Kumble will have a major role to play. Inzamam must be kept off strike as much as possible, while his strike partner should be kept under pressure. They can do well to avoid giving away extra runs to Kamran Akmal- he can bat, and score quickly.
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