Posts Tagged ‘Sports’
- In: BCCI | Cricket and Sports | Test | test cricket | Test match | Tests | Virat Kohli
- Leave a Comment
If someone had told me in 2019 that Virat Kohli would retire from Test cricket with an average below 50 and fewer than 10,000 runs, I would never have believed them.
That, in many ways, sums up Kohli’s Test career. It began slowly, rose to extraordinary heights, and then endured a prolonged decline that lasted almost as long as his peak. The result is a career that was undoubtedly great by most standards, but one that somehow feels incomplete given the heights he once seemed destined to reach.
I still remember Kohli’s entry into the Indian Test side. At the time, breaking into the Indian middle order was nearly impossible. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman were still around, and opportunities were scarce. Kohli got his chance during India’s tour of the West Indies in 2011 after several senior players opted to rest following the World Cup triumph.
It was a forgettable debut series, but few doubted his potential. The talent was obvious. The question was never whether Kohli would succeed in Test cricket, but how far he would go.
The first real glimpse of the player he would become came during India’s tour of South Africa in 2013-14. Although India lost the series, Kohli announced himself as a genuine Test cricketer. He showed that he possessed not only the technique to succeed at the highest level but also the temperament to take on the world’s best bowlers in the toughest conditions.
Even the disastrous tour of England in 2014, where his technique was repeatedly exposed outside off stump, proved to be only a temporary setback. The response that followed defined his greatness.
From December 2013 to November 2019, Kohli was arguably the best Test batter in the world. During that period, he scored 23 centuries in 64 Tests and averaged nearly 59. More importantly, he scored runs everywhere. Home or away, pace or spin, strong attacks or weak ones, Kohli found a way to dominate.
What made his achievements even more remarkable was that he was doing the same in white-ball cricket. While piling up runs in Tests, he was simultaneously averaging over 50 in both ODIs and T20Is. No contemporary batter matched his consistency across all three formats.
Yet Kohli’s contribution to Indian cricket extends far beyond the runs he scored.
If his batting made him a superstar, his captaincy transformed Indian Test cricket.
Under Kohli, India developed an identity it had often lacked overseas. For decades, India had relied heavily on batting and spin. Kohli’s India embraced fast bowling as its primary weapon. The results were remarkable.
The pace attack led by Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Ishant Sharma became one of the most formidable bowling units in world cricket. Supported by Umesh Yadav and a world-class spin department, India evolved into a team capable of winning anywhere.
For nearly a decade, India were virtually unbeatable at home and consistently competitive abroad. The historic series victory in Australia in 2018-19 was the culmination of years of cultural change, and Kohli deserves immense credit for driving that transformation.
His influence extended beyond tactics and team selection. He redefined fitness standards in Indian cricket and inspired an entire generation of players to treat conditioning, discipline, and professionalism as non-negotiable aspects of success.
And then came the decline.
What makes Kohli’s Test career so fascinating is not that he struggled. Every great player eventually does. It is the length and severity of the slump that remains surprising.
Until November 2019, Kohli had scored 27 Test centuries in 84 matches and averaged close to 55. The expectation was that he would cruise past 10,000 Test runs and perhaps finish with numbers comparable to the very greatest batters in the game’s history.
Instead, the runs slowed dramatically.
In his final 39 Tests, he managed only three centuries. The consistency that had defined his career deserted him. His average steadily declined, eventually settling at 46.85. By any objective measure, those are excellent numbers. Yet they fall short of what seemed inevitable at the peak of his powers.
That is the paradox of Virat Kohli’s Test career.
Most players would consider 9,230 runs, 30 centuries, and an average of 46.85 the achievement of a lifetime. For Kohli, those numbers somehow leave a sense of unfinished business because his peak suggested something even greater.
As a batter, he may not have reached every milestone many expected him to. As a leader, however, his legacy is beyond debate.
I will remember Kohli the captain more than Kohli the batter of his later years. I will remember the aggression, the belief, the relentless pursuit of excellence, and the conviction that India could compete with anyone, anywhere in the world.
His retirement feels slightly anticlimactic. A player of his stature deserved a grand farewell in front of a packed stadium. Circumstances, however, do not always allow legends to script their own ending.
Indian cricket now moves forward without both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in its Test middle order, leaving behind a significant void. Replacing their experience and presence will not be easy.
Yet all careers, even the greatest ones, eventually come to an end.
While Kohli may continue to entertain fans in ODI cricket and the IPL, seeing India take the field in whites without him will feel strange. Few players have shaped an era as completely as he did.
His Test career may not have ended with the numbers many predicted in 2019, but numbers alone cannot define his impact. He leaves behind a stronger Test team, a pace-bowling culture that changed Indian cricket forever, and countless memories that fans will cherish for years to come.
That is a legacy few cricketers can match.
- In: Australia | Cricket and Sports | Cricket League | India | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match | Tests | Virat Kohli
- Leave a Comment
On Day 3 of this on going Test match after India had conceded 445 to the opposition, India found themselves 6/2 in their first dig. Out walked India’s most celebrated and revered cricketer over the past 2 decades to the crease to join a solid looking KL Rahul. The day so far had been marred by rain and it was certain that India wouldn’t have to face too many overs. You would expect a batter of the caliber of Virat Kohli to try and help India to salvage something to probably try to end the day with no further loss of wickets.
There were only 17 overs possible on the rain affected day for India to bat and India promptly found themselves are 51/4 on the back of yet another top order collapse. Virat Kohli as he so often does nicks one behind the wicket to get out for yet another low score. The fans of the great player might point out to the Perth innings but again at the moment it does seem an anomaly rather than a sign of a player getting back to his best. Rohit Sharma who had a great chance to redeem himself in partnership with KL Rahul on the fourth morning gets out once again to a lose shot leaving India reeling at 74/5.
I have nothing but respect for both Virat and Rohit for everything they have done for the Indian Test team over the past decade but there comes a time when all good things should come to an end. Virat at the end of the day/night Test against Bangladesh on the 24th November 2019 was on top of the world. In 84 Tests at the time, Virat had 7202 runs at an impressive average of 54.97 with 27 Test hundreds. He was on the path to Test greatness and no one doubted that it was going to happen. After that series though Virat has been in a slump which can only be described as something unprecedented. In 37 Tests after that game against Bangladesh, Virat has 1964 runs at an average of 31.67 with only 3 further hundreds. His overall career average has now dropped to 47.49 and unless he has a brilliant last 5 innings in this series, he might not get an opportunity to get to 10,000 Test runs.
Rohit on the other hand isn’t in the same class as Virat in Tests. He established himself in Tests way later than Virat did but again for few years did exceedingly well at the top of the batting order. In 26 Tests since 2019 as an opener Rohit scored 2097 at an average of 51 with 7 hundreds. His batting especially at home against spin was brilliant and he also scored a crucial hundred in India’s Test win in England. Rohit’s slump in comparison to Virat hasn’t been for too long but again it does feel that it will be hard for both these players to get out of this and actually have a career in this format.
Test cricket is a thankless format and which even someone as great as Sachin Tendulkar found during the last 2 years of his career. India are going through a transition of sorts not to dissimilar to the one which they went through under MS Dhoni in 2013-2015. After the retirement of the greats a new crop of cricketers went through 2 years where except for one Test win at Lord’s lost all overseas games but ended up forming a core for years to come. The team under Virat from 2015 was unbeatable at home and also was good enough to win overseas. The Indian team is at the similar crossroads at the moment and it is time to move forward with the young team to build for the future.
The initial results might not be the best but India need to look ahead to the future and build a team which may equal what Virat’s team did for over 5 years. Jasprit Bumrah showed that he is capable of leading the team well and India should probably let him do the same. Rohit has been a very good white ball captain but Test cricket does not seem to be his cup of tea. Over the past few months the one thing which is noticeable with his captaincy is that he runs out of ideas when things don’t go his way which is not that different from what MS Dhoni was criticised for as a Test captain.
India have enough talent at their disposal to build for the future. The future of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin is also under question as both are in the wrong side of 30’s and do not have too many years ahead of them. Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are waiting in the wings and I am sure with enough game time they can do a great great job. The team management need to make some tough calls and should have honest conversations with all the senior players. No player is bigger than the game itself and the longer the management waits to make the changes the difficult it becomes. India as a team is still one of the best in the world and this is the time to ring in the changes in Tests.
The fans are extremely grateful and love the legends of the game but again there comes a time when the team’s needs has to be put first. Thanks to Virat, Rohit, Ashwin and Jadeja for their incredible services to the Indian Team but we need to look to the next phase of Test team. I feel the Australian series would be the right time to bid farewell to the greats. India aren’t going to make it to the WTC final next year which means it would be a fresh start for the team under a new captain and young players.
- In: Australia | Australia | Batting | BCCI | Cricket | Cricket and Sports | Cricket League | cricket world cup | England | India | New Zealand | ODI | Sachin tendulkar | Sports | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match | Tests
- Leave a Comment
Indian cricket team has always been known for its batting over the years. Even during India’s not so lucrative years as a Test team, India always produced great batters. The bowling was a struggle but again the two things India always excelled in was spin and good batters. The last few years though hasn’t been the same for India in terms of batting. In 2012/13 when Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman retired from the game there were lots of expectations from the next crop of Indian Test hopefuls. Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli were the torch bearers for the future of Indian batting and initially it did seem that they would carry it forward effortlessly.
Despite not having great careers like their predecessors they did keep India’s batting legacy going forward for the next decade. In the recent times though with Virat losing his form and India missing the services of Rahane & Pujara, the batting has become a struggle for India. The one thing even in 80’s and 90’s India were good at was playing at home. The ability to play spin and having exceptional spinners in their side meant India were a hard team to defeat at home. That legacy is fast disappearing as well which was evident in the recent whitewash at home against New Zealand.
When we look at the batting statistics for Indian batters over the past 5 years we can spot a trend. None of the batters barring Yashasvi Jaiswal average over 50 (min qualification: 10 Tests) during that period. The senior batters have struggled and have an average of under 40. This shows a pattern which is hard to disregard. The reason for Indian struggles both at home and overseas and not being able to be consistently good in a format which the team takes so seriously is due to the same fact. When we look at the average of the same batters at home only Pant & Jaiswal shine. India’s best batter Virat Kohli averages just 29 at home and Rohit Sharma is only slightly better at 35. The overall average of Indian top 6 over the same time has been a respectable 36 but again the heavy lifting mostly has been done by middle order along with Jaiswal. If we look at the stats for the 5 years before that for the top 6 it reads 53. When you look at the change in those numbers you can see how badly the batting has suffered over the past 5 years. Virat Kohli during those 5 years before his slump was marching towards Test greatness, Pujara was having a dream run and Rohit who had just made a comeback also was looking in good touch at least in India.
Something suddenly flipped in 2019 which turned the golden period into a slump which is hardly seen with Indian batting for a long time. India before Jaiswal made his debut, went through couple of years without a single batter in top 6 averaging 50 in Tests. I can’t remember when the last time it was? May be after Sunil Gavaskar retired and before Sachin found his feet? We know that every team has a phase where great players retire and there is a period of lull but India have always found someone to take over. Virat Kohli was that person for India for majority of his career until he fell into the biggest slump seen from a top batter in the world. Sachin’s last 2 years of slump was thought of as being disastrous but that has been upstaged for sure. The batting decline over the years finally culminated in that 3-0 drubbing at home, India’s first in 12 years.
When everyone thought that India probably have reversed the trend with their batting in the second innings of the first Test, the second Test proved that innings to be an anomaly . While fast bowling resources have improved enormously for India the batting at the same time has seen a major decline. If we were to look at the history of the sport, the only two teams which dominated Test cricket for a period of time had both the aspects clicking together at the same time for a significant amount of time. India have struggled to do that over the past few years. The inability of the batters to learn from their mistakes and improve on their flaws is completely missing from this era of batters. Virat for example took great effort in improving his technique against the moving ball after the disastrous 2014 series in England but has fallen back to his old habits once again. His will to improve doesn’t seem to exist anymore and his falling Test average is a testament to that. Rohit Sharma, I feel wasn’t the best Test player even when he started off but again with waning reflexes, he does not have anything to fallback on. Pujara and Rahane suffered a slump so big that they are no longer in the scheme of things. Gill is 30 Tests old but he hasn’t been consistent enough and also hasn’t had the luxury of playing in a settled firing batting line up. Only batter who has been consistent and has been performing brilliantly over the last 5 years has been Rishabh Pant. He was India’s best Test batter before his injury and after returning he still has been India’s hope with the bat in hand. The pressure is finally showing on the little man as it is hard to be a lone warrior in the toughest format of the game.
India will go into the 3rd Test at Brisbane with lots of questions. The biggest one is their batting. While Jaiswal and Gill are the future of Indian Test batting, the management would be thinking about who else can make it to the top 6. The batting has to improve for India if they are to consistently challenge teams around the world and also win that elusive World Test Championship. The 3-0 loss against New Zealand at home has almost put paid to their hopes of making yet another finals baring miracle. India need to seriously think about the future of the two senior batters in the line up and also think about who they want to back in the Test format. Virat Kohli is a great of Indian cricket but even his most ardent fan would agree that his method of getting out has become too repetitive to keep defending anymore. Rohit Sharma has been struggling in all formats and has been using carefree cricket to mask his struggles.
India are still a very good Test team and have very talented players waiting to break into the Test team, the question though is if the management has a vision. I never had any major hope on Gautam Gambhir and so far his tenure as a coach has been poor. The team selections, the backing of players in Tests have all been confusing and inconsistent. The only format where India have got things right is in T20Is and we can see the results showing in the recent months. India need to do something quickly if they want to continue to be a force in Tests in the coming years. Identifying the core of Indian batting take India forward for the next decade is a challenge and I hope that the management can think ahead. India fell off the wagon in this WTC cycle suddenly after being at the top for the most of it but again things aren’t that dire at the moment but again selection of the right personnel is important.
The next few years is crucial for the Indian Test team and players like Sai Sudharshan, Jaiswal, Sundar, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill should be part of Indian top 6 in coming years and we also have players like Jurel, Sarfaraz and few others who need to be given consistent chances. If India need to arrest this batting slump, they need to make some tough calls and hope this management is strong enough to make those calls.
- In: Cricket | Cricket and Sports | General Lunch Time talk | India | New Zealand | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match
- Leave a Comment
Whenever India’s famous victory at the Gabba in 2021 is discussed, the spotlight inevitably falls on Rishabh Pant’s match-winning heroics. Yet one of the most significant contributors to that triumph was Washington Sundar, a player whose very presence in the playing XI had been born out of necessity rather than planning.
When Sundar boarded the flight to Australia, he was little more than a backup option. India already had Ravichandran Ashwin, who was arguably outbowling Nathan Lyon in the series, and few would have imagined Sundar making his Test debut at the Gabba. But injuries had severely depleted India’s resources by the time the fourth Test came around, and when Ashwin was ruled out, Sundar found himself thrust into one of the most memorable Tests in Indian cricket history.
It was a surprise selection in more ways than one. Sundar had hardly played any first-class cricket in the years leading up to his debut, and questions remained about whether his off-spin was good enough for the demands of Test cricket. India viewed him largely as a like-for-like replacement for Ashwin, a player capable of contributing with both bat and ball.
Thrown into the deep end, Sundar responded admirably.
Bowling on a Gabba surface that offered little assistance to spin, he delivered a disciplined spell to claim the wickets of Steve Smith, Cameron Green and Nathan Lyon. His figures of 3 for 89 in 31 economical overs helped restrict Australia to 369, ensuring India remained in the contest.
If his bowling performance was impressive, his batting was arguably even more revealing.
Walking to the crease with India still staring at a substantial first-innings deficit, Sundar displayed a level of assurance that belied his lack of experience. After Pant’s dismissal, he joined forces with Shardul Thakur in what proved to be one of the defining partnerships of the match. Their counterattack not only rescued India from a precarious position but also laid the foundation for the famous chase that followed.
What stood out wasn’t merely the 62 runs Sundar scored. It was the manner in which he scored them. Against a quality Australian attack, he looked composed, technically sound and completely unfazed by the occasion. Rather than batting like a lower-order all-rounder, he looked every bit a genuine middle-order player.
The signs continued in the home series against England later that year. Sundar contributed valuable runs again and, at one stage, averaged more than 66 with the bat in Test cricket. While his bowling remained a work in progress, India appeared to have discovered a valuable all-rounder capable of strengthening the balance of the side.
Then came the setback.
Just as his Test career was gaining momentum, injuries halted his progress. Sundar disappeared from the red-ball setup and spent the next few years battling fitness concerns while re-establishing himself through domestic cricket and white-ball formats.
His recent return against New Zealand, however, offered a reminder of why so many people had been excited about him in the first place.
The headline numbers, a stunning 7 for 59, immediately grabbed attention. Conditions in Pune undoubtedly favoured spin, but it would be unfair to dismiss the performance as merely a product of the pitch. More encouraging than the wickets themselves was the improvement in his craft. Sundar looked more confident, more controlled and far more threatening than the bowler who made his debut three years earlier.
That development could be significant for India.
Replacing a cricketer of Ashwin’s stature is impossible. Players with more than 500 Test wickets do not come around often. But Sundar offers India a different kind of value. He is a capable top-order-quality batter who can bowl meaningful overs, provide balance to the side and contribute in multiple phases of a Test match.
India’s future will not depend on finding another Ashwin. It will depend on discovering players who can build their own identities.
Washington Sundar has the talent to be one of them.
The Gabba showed India what he could become. His comeback against New Zealand suggests that promise remains very much alive. The journey is still in its early stages, but after years interrupted by injuries, Sundar finally has another opportunity to establish himself in the format where he first announced his arrival.
For both Sundar and Indian cricket, that is an exciting prospect.
- In: Batting | BCCI | Cricket and Sports | India | New Zealand | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match
- Leave a Comment
I want to first clarify that this is not a knee jerk reaction after watching India’s dramatic collapse yesterday. India decided to bat first on a pitch with lots of moisture and conditions which were perfect for the pacers. I understand their thinking behind but the execution was poor. India over the past 2 years have been making good cricket pitches where they have been excelling but everyone knows that the batting is far from settled. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have not been scoring runs and India have been largely relying on Jaiswal, Pant and the lower order even at home.
Yesterday’s call was even more baffling considering the only conditions the New Zealand bowling can be successful in India was the one they bowled in yesterday. The lack of experience in the batting showed when none of the batters knew how to handle the situation. They not only went into their shell but also played shots which were implausible in such conditions. When New Zealand came into bat, the pitch eased out and our pacers were under tremendous pressure to deliver and failed to pick any wickets with the new ball. The visitors though would not be complaining as they are sitting pretty with 134 runs lead with 7 wickets still intact.
Gautam Gambhir & Rohit Sharma are taking risks to win Test matches and to make to another WTC finals but the decisions need to be made based on the strength’s of team in mind. It is all good when these things come of but when it doesn’t it looks ugly. The fact that the team who has 18 straight home series wins got bowled out for 46 at home is pretty humiliating. Indian batting line up in such conditions even when Pujara and Rahane were in the middle order struggled which is the prime reason for the team to not win a series in England, New Zealand or in South Africa over the past decade. This Indian batting though with out of form Rohit and Virat was always going to be recipe for disaster. While the team management would have expected troubles even they wouldn’t have anticipated what unfolded on day 1.
The young batters who have predominantly played at home panicked when runs weren’t coming and did not know how to handle such disciplined bowling. The New Zealand bowling was completely at home with conditions resembling of their home and the home team had no answers. Now that the visitors have taken such big lead already they are in a great situation to hand a rare home defeat to India. The Indian team management had only themselves to blame as they thought way ahead into the game rather than looking at the conditions at hand. This also comes with the over confidence of thinking they are invincible at home. New Zealand who were coming to India after trial by spin in Sri Lanka wouldn’t have been able to believe their luck when India gave their bowlers the best conditions to bowl in.
India now have no other option other than hoping that they can bowl the Kiwis out soon and Day 3 and bat better in the second innings. Things do not look for the home team and unless the weather intervenes the chances of saving the game looks bleak. The team management need to think about winning games but also need to make decisions based on the conditions they are playing in. Rohit got the toss completely wrong and the horrible execution by the batters did not help either. I just hope that some lessons are learnt and the team goes forward with better planning in the future. This has also raised concerns about the batting line up for the next 2 Tests and also the Border Gavaskar Trophy later this year. I love Rohit and Virat but I think their time in Tests are coming to an end and I hope the players themselves along with the management understand the same.
- In: Cricket | Cricket and Sports | India | ODI | ODI | postaweek2011 | Sports | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match | Twenty20 | World T20
- Leave a Comment
Ishant Sharma has been extremely poor in all forms of cricket for India over the last few years
It is very disappointing when your young pace hopeful goes back to India after the team’s 4-0 drubbing in New Zealand and says to the media that he is excited to take part in IPL 7 and he was disappointed missing the last couple of seasons. Varun Aaron is a young quick bowler who spent more time recouping from injuries than playing cricket on the field. He did make a comeback in the New Zealand tour but was really wayward, even though clocking really high speeds.
India was hammered 4-0 in the ODI series and the performances of the bowlers was really disappointing. India conceded over 6 runs per over in almost every game and put enormous pressure on the batting line up. The Indian bowling has never been brilliant but the bad part is that it has gotten worse over the last couple of years. The Indian pacers have struggled to get teams out even on pitches that are aiding fast bowling. The bowling has lacked intensity and purpose and it does not seem to be improving. The BCCI does not seem to care about the current situation and is busy making more money.
The IPL has done a lot of damage to the Indian bowling and the young bowlers don’t seem to care about their performances at the International level. Ishant Sharma after reaching 150 wickets has expressed his joy on doing the same. His averages 38 with the ball in test cricket after 50 tests and he should consider himself extremely lucky to be playing for India with such mediocre stats. The Indian team is currently struggling in New Zealand to take 10 wickets leave alone taking 20. The bowling and fielding has been mediocre and it looks like they are on the way to losing another test overseas.
The bowling issue needs to be tackled soon if India wants to be at the top of the pile in world cricket. Varun Aaron’s recent interview suggests that he is more excited playing for IPL and says that he has lots of cricket coming up before the IPL to prepare for the season. This is all that is wrong about the India bowling attack. As a fan you sometimes think if these bowlers even care about improving themselves. India would be travelling to England and then Australia later this year and it does not look good for the team at the moment. The drubbing the team is currently receiving from a team ranked 8th in the world is a huge wakeup call. If India needs to preserve these bowlers they need to keep them away from IPL and have them play lots of four day cricket. The BCCI have the finances to take care of these bowlers and keep them fresh and ready for international cricket.
It is hard to imagine India competing overseas without a decent bowling attack. The bowlers seem to not worry too much about improving themselves after making the Indian team. Sometimes you question, are they working hard to play for the country or they just want to represent the country so that they will be considered in higher pay packet during the auction for IPL? This is a question which only the Indian bowlers can answer. Hopefully BCCI will finally wake up and realize that India needs a good cricket team and the organization is there to ensure that and not just to make money.
Tough task ahead for team India
Posted on: December 16, 2013
- In: Cricket and Sports | General | India | ODI | ODI | Sachin tendulkar | South Africa | Sports | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match
- Leave a Comment
After a disastrous ODI series, India would be looking to put up a better show against the hosts in the upcoming test series. The Indian batting and bowling failed collectively in the ODI series to hand South Africa an easy series victory. It will be interesting to see how this young team will bounce back from the humiliation they suffered at the hands of the hosts.
South Africa hasn’t been an easy place for the touring teams over the last couple of years. Both Pakistan and Australia have been bowled out under 50 in the respective previous tours on these pitches. Steyn, Morkel and Philander have been brilliant at home and been a nightmare to the visiting teams. It will be a great test of character for the Indian young batsmen to stand up against this bowling attack on difficult pitches.
The Indian bowling too will have a great part to play in this series. Even though the focus is squarely on the young batsmen, the bowling has to deliver good performances on these wickets. The South African batsmen have shown vulnerability against good swing bowling in the past and have been bowled out for sub 100 scores both by India and Australia in the past few years. Here is where inclusion of Zaheer will play a great part. He will bring the consistency which was lacking from the Indian bowling in the ODI series. It will be interesting to see who will take the new ball along with him in the first test.
Ishant Sharma’s great performance in the final ODI might put some doubts in Dhoni’s mind. Shami seems to be a sure starter along with Zaheer and it will be between, Ishant, Bhuvneshwar and Yadav for the third seamer spot. Ashwin probably will be the lone spinner in the team and India is likely to go with 7 batsmen.
The Indian batting will always be placed under scrutiny when they travel abroad. The young batting order sans the retired greats will feel the pressure after the dismal showing in the ODI series. This is not the first time though that an Indian team has struggled in the ODI series in South Africa. In 2006, India were hammered 4-0 in the ODI series but managed to shock the hosts in the first test to go up 1-0. The Indian team has performed well in their last two yours here which might give them some confidence going into the first test on the 18th.
The opening stand will be of huge importance in the upcoming series and the new middle order of Pujara, Kohli and Rohit will have to bat with responsibility. It will be between Rayudu and Rahane for the 6th batting spot. India might even think of playing Saha as a specialist batsman at number 6 considering he has done that in the past in Australia. It will be interesting to see what combination India will field in the first test.
It will be a huge test for this young Indian team and will probably set the tone for a tough 2014 ahead. The young batsmen have lots to prove and this will be a huge step in the right direction if they can put up a good show. This tour also will determine how good the Indian bowling resources are and in the presence of Zaheer it gives the young pacemen a chance to learn a trick or two from the veteran.
This will be an interesting series and India enters the same as the underdog and rightfully so. The fact that no one expects a miracle from them might work in the favor of this young team. The ODI series is done and dusted and this is a new format and the young Indian team should approach the same with confidence. I hope that we have a very competitive series and I hope that the young Indian team put up a fighting performance in the two test series.
Probable Indian X1: Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, C Pujara, V Kohli, R Sharma, Saha/Rahane/Rayudu, MS Dhoni (Capt. Wkt.), R Ashwin, Mohd Shami, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma/Umesh Yadav.
- In: Cricket | Cricket and Sports | England | General | India | postaweek2011 | Teams | Test | test cricket | Test match
- Leave a Comment
1984/85 was the last time an English team won a test series on Indian soil. It has been a long wait and in that time India had developed into a dominant force at home. India have lost only one series at home in the last decade. But this time though the hosts are the most vulnerable. The Indian team has just lost great players in the middle order and is trying to find the ideal replacements. The bowling too is going through a transitional phase.
The time when Anil Kumble used to torment the visiting teams on turning surfaces are long gone and India are playing with two young spinners who are trying to make a mark. Ravichandran Ashwin has had a great beginning to his career and in partnership with Pragyan Ojha has done a great job in the home tests. The spin partnership will obviously be tested to the fullest against a tough English team. With all due respect to New Zealand and West Indies who toured earlier, this is probably the toughest batting line up to which the Indian spinners would bowl to.
The Indian team will be hoping that their openers fire. The middle order of Kohli, Sachin and Yuvraj will be the key against the English spinners. India will also hope to have a fit Zaheer throughout the series.
The English team too has their fair share of worries. They will be thrilled to have Kevin Pieterson back in the team to bolster the middle order. The English batting line up has struggled to play in the subcontinent on turning surfaces. Even though the Indian spinners are not in the same class as Ajmal, they would be surely a handful on the subcontinent wickets. The English team has a lot to prove and a win in India will surely be a huge step.
The English batting will rely on Cook, Trott and Pieterson to put up big totals and Swann to lead the bowling attack. England will know that batting well in India is extremely important and under these conditions countering the Indian spin attack will be a challenge.
This test series will be extremely important to both teams. This is a start of a tough home season for India and they would want to start that with a convincing win. The English team after faltering in Dubai and Sri Lanka would want to prove that they can play well in the subcontinent conditions. There is no doubt that this series will be decided as who wins the battle between the Indian spinners and the English batsman.
The series takes off tomorrow and the fans would be hoping for a tight contest. The Indian team will want to win this convincingly and the English team will want to deny the hosts the same. Let the games begin!!
Close on the heels of becoming the first Indian shuttler to win a medal at Olympics Saina Nehwal continued her good form to win the Denmark Open 2012. The third seeded Indian won the one-sided finals 21-17, 21-8 against her German opponent Juliane Schenk.
Saina has once again proved that she is one of the greatest sportswomen India has ever produced with this brilliant victory. Congrats to Saina and hope that she continues her good run and wins many more laurels for the country.
Vishwanathan Anand successfully defended his World championship title by defeating Boris Gelfand from Israel.
Vishwanathan Anand retained his world chess crown for the 5th straight year when he defeated Boris Gelfand in the tie breaker. Anand became the world chess champion in the year 2007 and this is the 5th straight year he has defended his title successfully. Congrats to Vishy Anand on retaining his world chess title. He has once again proved that he is one of the greatest sportsman India has ever produced.
girisopinion
