***Official*** South Africa in India

[masterblaster]

With Zak and Sharma out (first two tests atleast) - this would be my lineup

Sehwag
Jaffer (ideally Chopra but that's another story)
Dravid
Tendulkar
Ganguly
Laxman
Dhoni
Kumble
Harbhajan
Sreesanth
RP

Don't know why everyone is break dancing off Sreesanth's bandwagon - he's better suited to the test match stuff over the ODI's where can concentrate on that wonderful seam position and putting it on the right areas without having to bowl changeups all the time. Would have been tempted to play Murali Karthik over Bhajji but he's injured.

That's the team I would play too, and I've always preferred Murali Kartik to Harbhajan so I'd swap them, but it looks like Harbhajan will play. But otherwise, that looks like a decent team.

I would also be tempted to play 5 bowlers in India since the pitches are mosty unresponsive. In that case I'd have Irfan playing with either Jaffer or Ganguly 'rested'.

 

[adharcric]

Sehwag (along with Ganguly and Tendulkar) is good enough as a fifth bowling option on the tracks at home. At least for now, we need to bolster the batting side to make sure we can handle Steyn and the rest of that pace attack.

 

[gettingbetter]

Surely Pathan's performances in Australia would have him ahead of Sree?

 

[Manee]

Surely Pathan's performances in Australia would have him ahead of Sree?

It is quite a complex situation. Sreesanth is awful in ODIs, which askews the judgement a bit. He also bowled quite a few wholly uninspiring spells in England, but he manages to pick up the wickets somehow. With Pathan, you know that you will get some 130kph swing bowling, he will go at about 3 runs an over and may pick up a few wickets with one that reverses or swings late, but he won't blast teams out like Sreesanth can.

 

[adharcric]

Given that you don't need Pathan's batting, Sreesanth is the clear choice to partner RP. Not even close.

 

[Manee]

Given that you don't need Pathan's batting, Sreesanth is the clear choice to partner RP. Not even close.

Yes, Sreesanth should play as the second of two seamers ahead of Pathan, but Pathan should play as the third seamer ahead of Sreesanth - if you get what I mean.

 

[adharcric]

Yes, Sreesanth should play as the second of two seamers ahead of Pathan, but Pathan should play as the third seamer ahead of Sreesanth - if you get what I mean.

Haha yeah, I think I might but that doesn't apply to this series as RPS and Sreesanth pick themselves as the first two seamers, right?

 

[Manee]

Haha yeah, I think I might but that doesn't apply to this series as RPS and Sreesanth pick themselves as the first two seamers, right?

Yes. You understood my jibbrish.

 

[jeevan]

Wish it was otherwise, because IK Pathan seems to be a Kumble-type guy. But (Zaheer,RP,Ishant,Sree) is probably the bracket to choose the first two pacers on the bowling sheet.

Every other test scenario other than '4 bowlers, 2 seamers, batting not a consideration*' today likely involves Irfan. Can even see him picked as a second seamer when both Zaheer & RP are not available.

 

[adharcric]

Wish it was otherwise, because IK Pathan seems to be a Kumble-type guy. But (Zaheer,RP,Ishant,Sree) is probably the bracket to choose the first two pacers on the bowling sheet.

Every other test scenario other than '4 bowlers, 2 seamers, batting not a consideration*' today likely involves Irfan. Can even see him picked as a second seamer when both Zaheer & RP are not available.

Batting is not a consideration only because you're playing six specialist batsmen. Purely as a seamer, Pathan comfortably falls behind Zaheer, RP, Sreesanth and Ishant. His only legitimate chance is in the situation that at least three of them are injured or India play five bowlers.

 

[jeevan]

Batting is not a consideration only because you're playing six specialist batsmen. Purely as a seamer, Pathan comfortably falls behind Zaheer, RP, Sreesanth and Ishant. His only legitimate chance is in the situation that at least three of them are injured or India play five bowlers.

I was going to say in my previous post, but had to go, that even without Pathan India has a decent lower order. Kumble, Harbhajan(lately been more disciplined) are both easily #8's in most teams. Zaheer, Chawla easily good #9. And RP, Sree,even Ishant seem like they have some batting gumption.

My big hope for Pathan is to settle as a #7 during the Great Indian Middle Order transition, which we are only a year or two away from.

 

[aussie]

Big series in the development of Dale Steyn, good performances here will go a long way in erasing reservations about people querring whether he can take the mantle of becoming the next Allan Donald & in him being rated amongst the best pacemen ever.

 

[duffer]

Big series in the development of Dale Steyn, good performances here will go a long way in erasing reservations about people querring whether he can take the mantle of becoming the next Allan Donald & in him being rated amongst the best pacemen ever.

If Dale doesn't fire Saffies have no chance of taking 20 wickets. This will be very interesting to watch. I'd love to see the emergence of a new AD. Would be great for world cricket.

 

[gettingbetter]

Hope so too.

Firstly, it would be good to think that a second coming of bowlers is on the horizon, Steyn, Sharma, Lee, Southee, Asif etc and secondly, batting is getting boring.

 

[Richard]

Big series in the development of Dale Steyn, good performances here will go a long way in erasing reservations about people querring whether he can take the mantle of becoming the next Allan Donald & in him being rated amongst the best pacemen ever.

Don't ever see that happening. Can see Steyn possibly doing well in this series, and obviously hope he does. But not well enough to emulate Donald, either this series or over his career. Even if he takes 17 wickets at 19, still don't see it in fact.

 

[ret]

It's been a series billed, in South Africa at least, as 'Steyn v the Fab Four'. Dale Steyn, known as the 'Phalaborwa Express', arrives with a reputation. He's troubled Pakistan, destroyed New Zealand, skewered West Indies and torn apart Bangladesh. He's shone in the dry pitches of the subcontinent and done equally well back home. Some say he's the complete package but his biggest challenge here will be to overcome a solid batting order.

Anyone who saw Virender Sehwag's match-saving hundred in Adelaide will term the series 'Steyn v the Fab Five'. He leads an order which has claims to being one of the most formidable in history. Rahul Dravid hasn't been in the best of touch and Sourav Ganguly didn't fire in Australia but don't write off either. There's no point writing off VVS Laxman, especially with the kind of form he's shown recently, and absolutely foolish to disregard Sachin Tendulkar. And just in case we forget the cautionary farewell note: it's probably the last time this line-up takes on South Africa.

source - cricinfo

haha, nice billing .... though, i m putting my money on the Phalaborwa Express being taken to the cleaners by Sehwag, Dravid & Tendulkar .... i don't have high hopes from Ganguly but he plays left-arm spinners well, so thats a positive .... Laxman should chip in but don't expect him to dominate

Scorecards from the last series in India

Kanpur Test

Kol Test

 

[ret]

stats

Most of the batsmen from the two sides avg around 35 or less against each other .... a case for them to push it up

 

[honestbharani]

Had a great day this Sunday. Met most of the Indian players at practice, talked to some of them and got autographs and photographs of them as well.


Will tell in detail in a new thread and hopefully post the pics as well. Wonder if they can get to the CW main page......



And yes, bloody rain still hovering around.

 

[James]

Will tell in detail in a new thread and hopefully post the pics as well. Wonder if they can get to the CW main page......

Email them through to james.nixon@cricketweb.net in hi-res (don't worry about file-size) and I'll see what I can do

 

[honestbharani]

Email them through to james.nixon@cricketweb.net in hi-res (don't worry about file-size) and I'll see what I can do

Sure. They are in my cell as of now and I don't have a USB cable to connect to a computer. Will transfer the pics to one of my friends' cell and ask them to put them up in Picassa or something and then will email them to you.