***Official*** South Africa in India

[ret]

Bottom line is that, for India at least, this test posed more questions than answers.

On a dead track, these 4 bowlers failed, so who should be replaced?

The two quicks were obviously chosen from what was available after some bowlers were not available .... the spinners didn't create an impact, may be Chawla can be tried

If more than 4 are needed, which batsman goes?

it depends upon whether you want to drop Jaffar or one of the big 4, i,e. have a specialist batsman or play your best batsmen

Is Dhoni's improved form with the gloves enough to compensate for his deteriorating form with the bat, especially if they drop a batsman?

One inning is not enough to judge that .... yeah but it's true that the batting from #4 onwards was not that gr8 .... the other two who got some runs played along with Sehwag, who makes things easy for the guys at the other end

How does India improve their woeful fielding without dropping one of the big three (now that Tendy is out)?

I guess more commitment and effort will help improve things

How can India possibly justify picking Yuvi to replace Tendy if they go with the same mix?

again it depends up on the combination, if Ind goes with 4 bowlers then i guess Yuvi comes in but Pathan, who not only bowls but also bats well, is a much better option than Yuvi, who shot his own leg by not performing against the Aus

Pathan > Yuvi

but Yuvi can come in, if one of the big 3 [since Sachin is out] wants to open as Yuvi > Jaffar

One thing for sure is that Ganguly wont open or be dropped - that's a pr nightmare and a worse prospect than losing a test for the BCCI

Thats the problem with team Ind. The team gets selected more on the lines to accommodate 'icon' players, which hurts the balance .... I know Ganguly won't open and thats precisely why I want him to open

Three bummers in the Indian team = Jaffar, Ganguly and Bhajji .... if the 3 of them are replaced then things will definitely improve

my ideal 11

Sehwag
Gambhir
Dravid
Sachin
Rohit / Laxman
Dhoni
Pathan
Kumble
Zak
Chawla
Ishant

 

[jeevan]

Badrinath is in a rare form slump so it essentially came down to Kaif or Raina - good selection. He should play - or will it be Yuvraj?

Jaffer, Sehwag, Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly, Kaif, Dhoni, Kumble/Chawla, Bhajji, Ishant, Sreesanth

Kumble/Chawla? Should've atleast inserted a

 

[R_D]

So good to see Kaif back.... i was just checking his domestic record last week and saw he had scored good in the season.

Bad news about Tendulkar getting injured thou, I would not have Yuvraj anyhwre near starting 11. Hopefully Ishant is fit otherwise India might be in bit of trouble.

 

[aussie]

How come Murali Karthik isn't in the mix for a the third spinner spot?

 

[adharcric]

Kumble/Chawla? Should've atleast inserted a

Kumble has groin issues.

 

[jeevan]

Kumble has groin issues.

Missed that. Could be a big blow, hope Chawla can make something happen. Kartik seems to have missed a lot of the Indian domestic season, any one know how he's been bowling?

 

[duffer]

Wouldn't mind seeing Kaif given another go, especially if he's in good form. Yuvi needs to earn his stripes in domestic FC cricket before he gets anywhere near the Test team. There are others who deserve a shot at it now.

 

[masterblaster]

Sad to see Tendulkar injured, but it's great to see Kaif back in the Indian squad.

Substance over style everytime!

 

[Cevno]

How come Murali Karthik isn't in the mix for a the third spinner spot?

he tore his ligament the day he was selected in the squad.

 

[Cevno]

Saw little of this Test apart from extended highlights of the 2nd day.

Was obviously an amazing knock by Sehwag and there was a little more drama than usual in a bore draw.

I have to say though that Im finding Harbhajans action verging on the sickening. IMO, he chucked every ball I saw, not just the overspun ball or the doosra. Highlights was the best way to see this as his balls were spliced between guys with straight arms (such as Sehwag and Kumble) and the straightening is considerable and noticable.

Ive not seen him bowl for a while. Is this common or has it developed more recently?

He was bowling with slightly doubtful action later on in the innings.
But then steyn's action also was suspect looking in many deliveries specially the effort ball.

 

[kingkallis]

Badrinath is in a rare form slump so it essentially came down to Kaif or Raina - good selection. He should play - or will it be Yuvraj?

Jaffer, Sehwag, Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly, Kaif, Dhoni, Kumble/Chawla, Bhajji, Ishant, Sreesanth

Kumble/Chawla?

Dude you are on drugs? Kumble is the captain!

 

[kingkallis]

My team for Ahmedabad :

Wasim Jaffer
Virender Sehwag
Rahul "Crawler" Dravid
Saurav Goneguly
VVS Laxman
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Irfan Pathan
Anil Kumble
Harbhajan Singh
Piyush Chawla
SreeSanth

IF Ishant is declared fit and if he is "really" fit then include him ahead of Sree!

And yeah I am going to see the game from stadium - Yaaay!

 

[Goughy]

My team for Ahmedabad :

Wasim Jaffer
Virender Sehwag
Rahul "Crawler" Dravid
Saurav Goneguly
VVS Laxman
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Irfan Pathan
Anil Kumble
Harbhajan Singh
Piyush Chawla
SreeSanth

IF Ishant is declared fit and if he is "really" fit then include him ahead of Sree!

And yeah I am going to see the game from stadium - Yaaay!

Interesting. I dont know what the best side is but Im sure SA would be loving only 5 specialist batsmen.

BTW, hope you enjoy the game

 

[silentstriker]

Three spinners is way overkill. I really want to try Kumar out. On the one hand, I don't see how he can do well with his pace on dead tracks, and then I look at his FC average and wonder. It's certainly worth a try considering Sree and RP spray it around. One thing Kumar will do is keep it tight. I really want Zaheer to be fit, but barring that, the likely side will be Ishant, Sreesanth, RP Singh and two spinners. They may go Irfan Pathan instead of RP Singh as well.

 

[jeevan]

Lot of people are wanting / assuming that Ishant will play the second test. But, while there was a blurb that he was fit - has he been added to the squad ?

I'm thinking that India is going to play with Pathan,Kumble,Harbhajan,Sree - and hope that Pathan keeps it tight and one end and Sree has better luck (doesnt sound he bowled badly at Chennai).


The 3rd test squad is not announced. And depending on how the 2nd test goes we're likely to see Zaheer,Ishant/Sree.Kumble.Harbhajan and perhaps Pathan for the third one.

 

[TT Boy]

The more spinners the Indians play the better for South Africa I feel. Especially if India loses the toss once again which would mean if RSA bats anywhere near 'good' they would have already secured the draw, unless the wicket is a square turner from day one of course.

Sharma is apparently inline for the second test as well and considering his been injured since Australia, it will mean South Africa will once again face a seamer who’s not match fit and the last time they faced one of those it record figures of 150 odd for 0. So that could also be encouraging news for the South Africans.

 

[silentstriker]

The more spinners the Indians play the better for South Africa I feel. Especially if India loses the toss once again which would mean if RSA bats anywhere near 'good' they would have already secured the draw, unless the wicket is a square turner from day one of course.

Well, spinners are really our best hope. There just isn't enough in it for the fast bowlers to warrant playing three specialist ones, especially as none of them is express or accurate enough to keep the RR down. RP Singh is a swinger, so when there is no swing or he gets it wrong, he gets belted. Sreesanth can do better, but he tries way too much and ends up being expensive and often toothless. Ishant has the height and pace to hurry the batsman, but not enough to run through a lineup on Indian pitches, and as you mention, he may not be match fit. If we had Zaheer, he and Ishant would be fantastic to have.

On the other hand, even on that wicket, Harbhajan got eight wickets....spinners are our best option IMO. I'd disagree with the notion that SA have secured the draw if we play a couple of spinners.

I do hope the wicket is a square turner from day one, though I don't hold out much hope.

 

[ret]

The more spinners the Indians play the better for South Africa I feel. Especially if India loses the toss once again which would mean if RSA bats anywhere near 'good' they would have already secured the draw, unless the wicket is a square turner from day one of course.

Sharma is apparently inline for the second test as well and considering his been injured since Australia, it will mean South Africa will once again face a seamer who’s not match fit and the last time they faced one of those it record figures of 150 odd for 0. So that could also be encouraging news for the South Africans.

haha .... things are already good for SA .... the main Indian quick is out, Tendulkar is now out, Kumble is doubtful, the pitches are flat

I think Ind should play Chawla .... his leg-spin and attacking bowling might just help Ind, along with the fact that SA have not played him enough .... in worst case he could be as ineffective as other bowlers were at Chennai but if he clicks Ind could go 1-0 up

 

[Neil Pickup]

Kumble/Chawla?

Dude you are on drugs? Kumble is the captain!

He's also a fitness doubt.

 

[Top_Cat]

Three spinners is way overkill. I really want to try Kumar out. On the one hand, I don't see how he can do well with his pace on dead tracks, and then I look at his FC average and wonder. It's certainly worth a try considering Sree and RP spray it around. One thing Kumar will do is keep it tight. I really want Zaheer to be fit, but barring that, the likely side will be Ishant, Sreesanth, RP Singh and two spinners. They may go Irfan Pathan instead of RP Singh as well.

Actually, that's an interesting idea. I'd also like to see Kumar given a go. He just seems one of those bowlers who hurries on as evidenced by how many wickets he got in Australia where he beat the batsmen on the back-foot. one of those blokes who has a knack for taking wickets in bunches.