***Official*** South Africa in India 2015

[harsh.ag]

Expecting decent crowds for this actually. AB and Steyn are crowd favorites!

 

[Contra]

Expecting decent crowds for this actually. AB and Steyn are crowd favorites!

Bangalore better turn up, don't have hope for the remaining venues in all honesty. Wish eden gardens got a game, India v SA last time around was epic.

I also just realized this will be India's first home series since Sachin retired, this is gonna feel so odd..

 

[Jono]

this will be awesome

 

[Marius]

I doubt SA will play two spinners, unless one of the seamers is injured and they're on a raging turner. Piedt will probably be the first-choice spinner, he had a good A-tour of India and Harmer wasn't great in Bangladesh.

If SA plays two spinners it'll be Tahir I think, I don't see the point of going in with two right-arm offies, especially when the main spinning back-up (Duminy) is the same.

So, the team for the first Test will be:

Van Zyl
Elgar
Amla
Du Plessis
De Villiers
Duminy
Vilas
Philander
Steyn
Piedt
Morkel

 

[harsh.ag]

Harmer, despite being the incumbent, would be the third choice for me. Piedt perfomed well in the recent Saffer A tour of India, and that experience would be valuable. On the fence about Tahir.

How is van Zyl? Haven't seen him play as such.

 

[Marius]

Harmer, despite being the incumbent, would be the third choice for me. Piedt perfomed well in the recent Saffer A tour of India, and that experience would be valuable. On the fence about Tahir.

How is van Zyl? Haven't seen him play as such.

Been in all right form, did OK against Bangladesh.

Bowls some slow-medium seam-up too, which isn't too bad either.

He'll definitely open with Elgar.

 

[Prince EWS]

I think van Zyl looks awesome. A genuine 40+ Test average batsman IMO. He's not a regular opener though so it'll be interesting to see how he goes long-term in that role.

 

[Prince EWS]

I doubt SA will play two spinners, unless one of the seamers is injured and they're on a raging turner.

Yeah I think the way they'll see it is that they are playing two spinners and one of them is Duminy. And it's fair enough really; bloke is much better than a part-timer.

 

[Marius]

I think van Zyl looks awesome. A genuine 40+ Test average batsman IMO. He's not a regular opener though so it'll be interesting to see how he goes long-term in that role.

Yeah, I still would have liked to see Stephen Cook get a go.

He may be too old, the SA selectors are far less likely to pick a dude on the wrong side of 30 than, say, the Australians.

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

Pretty much free flowing all around from what I have seen. Van Zyl looks good.

Was reading Shami in the preliminary squad or something. Will he make the team?

 

[OverratedSanity]

Wish eden gardens got a game, India v SA last time around was epic.

Was at that stadium on the last day.. was such an epic match. Amla was a beast.

 

[Contra]

Was at that stadium on the last day.. was such an epic match. Amla was a beast.

Yeah he was, that pitch was flat as hell day 5 which is why I rate Bhajji's 5-fer in that match pretty high. I remember waking up early morning and seeing Ishant get the 9th wicket with about 20 overs to go and I was like yeah we got this.. and then Morkel and Amla just kept batting and Amla didn't look at all like getting out till eventually Bhajji got one through in the final moments.

Also remember Viru kicking the ball into the fence and signaling 4 lmfao, like can you make it any more obvious? Gotta love Sehwag though.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Also remember Viru kicking the ball into the fence and signaling 4 lmfao, like can you make it any more obvious? Gotta love Sehwag though.

I remember that

SehWAG

 

[Salamuddin]

Mishra and Ishant have the middle order covered. Ashwin and Umesh to take out the top and bottom. Only AB to score serious runs consistently, with a century each for Amla and du Plessis somewhere.

2-1 for us.

This would be the creme de la creme if SA can win this series.
SA have been outstanding in not losing an away series in nine years. a record really only matched by the great Windies team of the eighties but
India is the one place they haven't won in that time.
They probably should have won both the 2008 and the 2010 series given they had the better of the condtions - they won the toss both times in 2010 and won a crucial toss on that Kanpur wicket in 2008.

I think it will be a very hard fought series . India have emerged from their rebuilding period and I think in a year or so they are going to be quite formidable under Kohli. They have a lot of guys who are in the same age group and who are just starting to enter their peak years.
SA are probably just past their peak but they still have the nous and firepower for a final hurrah. One thing that's also not in their favour is they haven't played a lot of test cricket of late - Kohli's guys have had a complete series in SL to prepare.

It'll boil quite heavily down to Steyn really - if he's on song, SA are in with a real chance. If India counter him reasonably well though, I'm backing India to end SA's unbeaten run.

 

[Dan]

Yeah I think the way they'll see it is that they are playing two spinners and one of them is Duminy. And it's fair enough really; bloke is much better than a part-timer.

Yeah, Duminy's probably just below Moeen level. Perfectly fine bowler, but ideally there's someone in the country better at it than he is.

Then they've got Elgar's SLAs, and Faf's leggies are underbowled IMO. No shortage of part-time spin options, so I can't see why SA would want to drop a quick for a second 'specialist' spinner. If it's that much of a dustbowl, Duminy/Elgar/Faf increase in danger anyway (remember Clarke's 6/9), and you'd certainly want a third quick.

 

[Cabinet96]

I'd forgotten this series was a thing. Major hype.

 

[harsh.ag]

BCCI president Dalmiya in hospital after heart attack | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Marius]

Yeah, Duminy's probably just below Moeen level. Perfectly fine bowler, but ideally there's someone in the country better at it than he is.

Then they've got Elgar's SLAs, and Faf's leggies are underbowled IMO. No shortage of part-time spin options, so I can't see why SA would want to drop a quick for a second 'specialist' spinner. If it's that much of a dustbowl, Duminy/Elgar/Faf increase in danger anyway (remember Clarke's 6/9), and you'd certainly want a third quick.

Antoinette Muller (who is normally pretty good) said that SA could go into a Test with three spinners. I really hope she meant two specialists and Duminy, because there is about as much chance of Tahir, Piedt, and Harmer all being in the Test XI as of me getting called up if one of them gets injured.

I don't see SA playing more than one specialist - we've done well in India before with only one specialist spinner, we don't need two.

Cricket: Proteas' tough Indian summer | Daily Maverick

 

[weldone]

BCCI president Dalmiya in hospital after heart attack | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

Oh, bad news

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

Antoinette Muller (who is normally pretty good) said that SA could go into a Test with three spinners. I really hope she meant two specialists and Duminy, because there is about as much chance of Tahir, Piedt, and Harmer all being in the Test XI as of me getting called up if one of them gets injured.

I don't see SA playing more than one specialist - we've done well in India before with only one specialist spinner, we don't need two.

Cricket: Proteas' tough Indian summer | Daily Maverick

overkill if that happens