*Official* Second Test at Trent Bridge

[silentstriker]

How quickly we forget Sharma was man of the series in the WI and decimated the English top-order in the second dig. Yeah he bowled like crap in the 1st but he's 22 and on his first English tour dealing with the Lords slope, days like that are going to happen. Once he found his length, he was sensational and was good enough to re-open a few English batters' wounds; Bell's dismissal looked suspiciously 2005-esque in the tentative way his back-foot moved (or didn't) and the way he set-up KP and Trott was fantastic.

Kumar obvs bowled well and I stand by my contention pre-series that Sreesanth is potentially lethal in English conditions. It's not hopeless for India's pacers but acting like it is ain't helping.

Sreesanth looks like he'd have trouble completing his run up right now.

 

[kingpin]

We are going to bounce back!!no probs!!

 

[centurymaker]

hows RP Singh?

I believe he should be selected ahead of irfan pathan

 

[kingpin]

hows RP Singh?

I believe he should be selected ahead of irfan pathan

He bowled gud in IPL!!!lost his pace!!!not worth it!!

 

[TT Boy]

Bhaji has an almost Danish Kaneria aversion to playing test cricket in England and England in general. 2001 home series aside, Bhaji’s record against England is 9 test matches, 29 wickets @ 44.55. Watching him bat also, you have to wonder how New Zealand let this guy ton up twice, at least when Jerome Taylor and Saqlain put 100 on them, they were getting in-line.

Captain Dhoni also averaging sub 40 nowadays. Averages 25 outside the subcontinent since 2009. Makes it a long tail for the Indians, especially when Bhaji needs the Antipodes to get going with the bat.

India can take solace in the fact that they bounced back superbly against South Africa but that was with a returning Zaheer Khan, not an injured and unfit Khan. Think it will only get tougher from here for them.

 

[Xuhaib]

tbf to Kaneria that bastard behind the stumps have done his fair bit in ruining a potentially good career.

 

[Arjun]

The sooner India gets an all-rounder from the domestic scene, or plays Harbhajan or Kumar as an all-rounder, the better. The team is largely fine, they just played badly at Lords, but there's a clear lack of balance. The bowling is simply too weak to go in with less than five bowlers, and it has showed. There's simply no reason why an all-rounder (or at least a fifth bowler who can score runs- Harbhajan, on form?) should not, under any circumstances, play in this Indian side, or that an Indian selection without a sixth batsman should not take the field. Bowling is an area of weakness, and will get even weaker without that support. Moreover, the excess load on bowlers will lead to an injury list longer than just Zaheer.

With Dhoni likely to be suspended for a poor over-rate, the replacement should be the next India captain, and not a mere fill-in. MSD's captaincy has largely been either poor or dreadful, and it's only his players who have helped him with their individual, or collective, performances. Once his best men were struggling, his captaincy looked a lot worse than Tendulkar's or Dravid's. He needs a break from the responsibility, so that he can recover to full batting and keeping form, to help out India's balance.

Raina appears to be little more than excess baggage in the side. His batting average is poor, he's simply no option with the ball outside of exaggerated square turners in Asia and fields in limited-overs positions. While the main bowlers were slogging it out, bowling twice as many overs as they can, adding up to over 150, Raina bowled a grand total of eight overs, and was outbowled by the team's wicketkeeper-batsman. That's very little from someone who bats no higher than six and barely scores, with questionable technique, leagues behind India's top five. And we are talking of dropping Harbhajan, who's India's leading wicket-taker and also in very good batting form- because of one horror Test, with little or no support.

India has a very strong top five. They are fielding their top four Test bowlers at present. They've also got one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in action today. There's little need for change, except for the balance, which is sorely lacking.

As for RP Singh, Darren Gough strongly believes he should play for India. Farrokh Engineer thought so too, and asked Dhoni, to which Dhoni repiled, he's not been doing well in FC cricket in India. Goughy ws shocked- he said, this is Test cricket, not local cricket. That was harsh!

 

[Spark]

Dhoni won't be suspended.

Find it strange that one can call for Raina's head after the knock he played yesterday, where he thoroughly showed up his top order colleagues with upwards of 25000 Test runs between them.

 

[John Blaze]

The sooner India gets an all-rounder from the domestic scene, or plays Harbhajan or Kumar as an all-rounder, the better. The team is largely fine, they just played badly at Lords, but there's a clear lack of balance. The bowling is simply too weak to go in with less than five bowlers, and it has showed. There's simply no reason why an all-rounder (or at least a fifth bowler who can score runs- Harbhajan, on form?) should not, under any circumstances, play in this Indian side, or that an Indian selection without a sixth batsman should not take the field. Bowling is an area of weakness, and will get even weaker without that support. Moreover, the excess load on bowlers will lead to an injury list longer than just Zaheer.

With Dhoni likely to be suspended for a poor over-rate, the replacement should be the next India captain, and not a mere fill-in. MSD's captaincy has largely been either poor or dreadful, and it's only his players who have helped him with their individual, or collective, performances. Once his best men were struggling, his captaincy looked a lot worse than Tendulkar's or Dravid's. He needs a break from the responsibility, so that he can recover to full batting and keeping form, to help out India's balance.

Raina appears to be little more than excess baggage in the side. His batting average is poor, he's simply no option with the ball outside of exaggerated square turners in Asia and fields in limited-overs positions. While the main bowlers were slogging it out, bowling twice as many overs as they can, adding up to over 150, Raina bowled a grand total of eight overs, and was outbowled by the team's wicketkeeper-batsman. That's very little from someone who bats no higher than six and barely scores, with questionable technique, leagues behind India's top five. And we are talking of dropping Harbhajan, who's India's leading wicket-taker and also in very good batting form- because of one horror Test, with little or no support.

India has a very strong top five. They are fielding their top four Test bowlers at present. They've also got one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in action today. There's little need for change, except for the balance, which is sorely lacking.

As for RP Singh, Darren Gough strongly believes he should play for India. Farrokh Engineer thought so too, and asked Dhoni, to which Dhoni repiled, he's not been doing well in FC cricket in India. Goughy ws shocked- he said, this is Test cricket, not local cricket. That was harsh!

What is this nonsense about Raina? Did you watch the second innings, he played a great knock and averages a tick under 40, how is that bad for a number 6? Tell me one other number 6 in the world who averages more than in recent times than him?

If RP Singh can't do well in Indian FC cricket, then why do you believe he will do well against the English line up, especially over a Sreesanth or Munaf.

 

[John Blaze]

Dhoni won't be suspended.

Find it strange that one can call for Raina's head after the knock he played yesterday, where he thoroughly showed up his top order colleagues with upwards of 25000 Test runs between them.

awta

 

[TT Boy]

The sooner India gets an all-rounder from the domestic scene, or plays Harbhajan or Kumar as an all-rounder, the better.

As for RP Singh, Darren Gough strongly believes he should play for India. Farrokh Engineer thought so too, and asked Dhoni, to which Dhoni repiled, he's not been doing well in FC cricket in India. Goughy ws shocked- he said, this is Test cricket, not local cricket. That was harsh!

Says it all.

And Bhaji and Kumar are already playing. Do they need to be classed as an all-rounder, to perform with the bat?

 

[hang on]

anyone know when sehwag might play, if at all? third test?

 

[marc71178]

What about Gambhir, he must be a doubt as well. Who opens if he's out?

 

[Vroomfondel]

Neither Engineer nor Gough have seen RP in the last 3 years. There is a reason he played his last test over 3 years ago. He's been absolute crap. How these 'experts' get to be on TV is beyond me.

Look mate, what we showed is not that we need an 'all-rounder' or 5 bowlers, but that a team struggles when it loses 25% of its bowling attack on the 1st morning. This is not exactly a jaw-dropping surprise, and should not result in calls for Dhoni's head. I thought he handled his bowlers OK, and remained over-defensive as always -- we haven't had an attacking captain EVER, and this won't change until Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman etc. retire.

Ishant and Praveen have both shown sparks of brilliance, and will hopefully be more consistent as they adjust to the current lengths to bowl. I'm still hoping against hope for a resurgence from Bhajji -- love him, hate him, or ignore him, we cannot win this series without a few good performances by him. So I'm hoping he will pull through.

Munaf/Sree in for Zaheer, and no other changes. Mukund to inside edge onto the stumps for a labored 15. Those are about the only things that are certain about this team.

 

[Spark]

I don't think PK bowled that badly second innings - his lines were good, his lengths were good. It's just that he is very much a one-trick pony and once he loses that trick...

 

[Vroomfondel]

I don't think PK bowled that badly second innings - his lines were good, his lengths were good. It's just that he is very much a one-trick pony and once he loses that trick...

Agree that he wasn't bad. He was also pretty unlucky IIRC with the slips+dhoni. India really need to sort out their cordon, both its spacing and distance from the stumps.

 

[keeper]

India pretty well know their best XI surely? If the only doubt is around Khan's fitness they either have to decide he's fit enough according to whatever measures they use for this, or they replace him with the next best like-for-like bowler. Shuffling the team or picking him as a gamble would both be madness imo, although fine by me as an Englishman.

Surprised and disappointed at how little recent history we have for Trent Bridge tests. Still fair to assume that it is good for seam bowling. With the weather forecast looking good we are looking at 2-0 or 1-1, either of which has a certain Wow factor.

 

[wpdavid]

Surprised and disappointed at how little recent history we have for Trent Bridge tests. Still fair to assume that it is good for seam bowling. With the weather forecast looking good we are looking at 2-0 or 1-1, either of which has a certain Wow factor.

Swings lots at Trent bridge iirc. India won there in 2007 didn't they?

 

[keeper]

Swings lots at Trent bridge iirc. India won there in 2007 didn't they?

Indeed (and Khan's 9 wickets in that match might tip the selectors towards a brave/foolish (delete where applicable) decision this week).

SL won there in 06 but that was more down to Murali. last year saw both sides seamers make hay.

It's a fascinating ground for the second test. It might give India the chance to hit back back but they may have been better off getting a more bat friendly strip, win the toss and let their batsmen get into the groove.

 

[Cevno]

Dhoni won't be suspended.

Find it strange that one can call for Raina's head after the knock he played yesterday, where he thoroughly showed up his top order colleagues with upwards of 25000 Test runs between them.

He just also advocated making Saha the next India captain and removing Dhoni too.