Zaheer wants to be the deciding factor

"I want to be the factor which makes the difference as there are so many expectations on me. The way I see it, it all worked out perfectly fine, because I had a four-month break so I could prepare well for this series," "This tour is very important for me," Zaheer, who bowled five overs on the final day of a practice match here, said.

Zaheer at full strength would have been a threat (possibly) but zaheer at 60% is not athreat at all , not bowling at 125 on oz pitches , he bowled 15 over in 3 days and expecting to make a difference hmm , sounds too optimitic to me

If i were fletcher , i would rest zaheer an dishant for the first two tests and lets them get well and use them when they ar 100%

umesh yadav,mithun and vinay owuld be the 3 fit bowlers, i would have selected irfan pathan , given oz's vulnerability against swing

India's concern will be the lack of pace in the bowlers if ishant, yadav get injured. Zaheer is 125-130 max, vinay 135 kph, in australia if your only 80mph your gonna struggle, as there's hardly any movement over there.

Trouble is Zaheer is bound to break down, although as he says having a long break pre tour means he shoudl be in as good shape as possible. I can see why hed say this is importnat, his career is on limited time and Aus although not the force they once were are still a huge rival for India...winning down under would be massive. Losing would put India firmly back in the also rans catagory behind England and SA.
I disagree that resting him and IShant is worthwhile. Theres no point in saving them till the series is lost. They have the warm up games to get used to conditions, and they are likely the only thratening bowlers.
The glimmer of hope for India is that the Aus battieng has been very brittle, and that their own batting may be able to conjure up draws.

cricketfan90 wrote:India's concern will be the lack of pace in the bowlers if ishant, yadav get injured. Zaheer is 125-130 max, vinay 135 kph, in australia if your only 80mph your gonna struggle, as there's hardly any movement over there.

McGrath did ok at 80mph...

Yeah did ok didn't he, Mike.

McGrath was only 80mph towards the end of his career. Most of the time he was at 85pmh.

Mike's point is that he still took stacks of wickets.

yes but like i said he was only 80mph in the final 2 years of his career

and also he was a much more skilful bowler than the likes of vinay, mithun etc

Of course he is, but you said you need to be fast to have success in Oz. I guess what you meant was - you either need to be very fast or you need to be skilled.

yh i meant need to be fast or skilled, and vinay mithun etc are neither.

McGrath was 80 mph since at least 2001. Mohammed Asif also did well at similar speeds. Anyway the point is moot, fast bowlers without skill don't do well in Aus, the pitches offer bounce so edges carry, but it is consistent, and there isn't that much lateral movement.

As PSW points out, in India's favour is that Aus's batting has been awful recently, but should Ponting, Clarke, Hussey find form, India may struggle.

Shewag vs Pattinson will be key.

Mike Selig wrote:McGrath was 80 mph since at least 2001. Mohammed Asif also did well at similar speeds. Anyway the point is moot, fast bowlers without skill don't do well in Aus, the pitches offer bounce so edges carry, but it is consistent, and there isn't that much lateral movement.

As PSW points out, in India's favour is that Aus's batting has been awful recently, but should Ponting, Clarke, Hussey find form, India may struggle.

Shewag vs Pattinson will be key.

I would put McGrath more in the 85 mph category but the point still stands.

Khan will probably get his wish, getting on the plane midway through the Boxing Day Test.

Demon Racer wrote:Khan will probably get his wish, getting on the plane midway through the Boxing Day Test.

Agreed, Khan has not completed any of his last three overseas tours, I think this may well be the fourth.

The difference with this one is taht he isnt being rushed back into the side and has had a proper lay off. But the demands on him could be pretty extreme if teh Aussie batsmen actually manage to get set, there can be some long days out there.
Its another problem for India, are they going to try and force 5 bowlers into the side or rely on part time spinners? The probklems oif 4 were brutaly exposed by England, and its unlikely they will get much help for teh spinners form the Aussie groundsmen.
A 4 bolwer lineup will increase the demands of Khan and increase his chances of getting home for new year, but that would leave them with a very long tail especially since Dhoinis test batting jumped the shark.

I really think Aus should be favourites for this, but you cant ever right a side like India off. Its only a year since they seemed invicible.

lol im suprised he isnt injured yet