NZ vs. India at Hyderabad

--So tomorrow starts more test match cricket.....
NZ hit some highs by drawing a series in Aus and holding SA to a creditable draw batting out 4 sessions.....
and then they hot a low losing rather tamely to WI in WI.....
the diffrence I believe between the high and the low was John Wright who they sacked.....
I saw they have some good left arm seamers, and Bracewell is a poor man's Vernon Philander with bat and ball.
In the absence of Vettori....Patel gets a break
Ross Taylor and McCullum are IPL stars and amply familiar with India.

--India is India......back to tigers at home and lambs abroad status after their dabble with status on top on the bac¨k of some overseas wins...courtey Ganguly and Gary Kirsten.

We have to see if even their tigers at home status is unchallenged with VVSL and Dravid gone , Sehwag slowed and Tendulkar not so profilic any more.

England should be monitoring India's new middle order batters very very closely.....who are likely to be Pujara, Kohli and Rahane....exposing these will be Eng's best chance towards a battle of equality later.

What few notice but Kirsten remarked.....India's ascent was on the back of celver use and almost an equal contribution from their seamers, even in home conditions.

Zaheer is the best exponent of reverse after Wasim Akram....and Yadav is as fast as any one in the world on his day......produces half a dozen wicket taking balls...inspite of being expensive.

Indian spinners are not in the quality of Kumble and Harbhajan ( at his prime) anymore......but the pitches will ensure thay are a handful.

The Indian XI will be following.....i do not know enouhg about the NZ team to list the possible XI.

1) Sehwag
2) Gambhir
3) Rahane...althouhg a school of thouhg believes hanae should open and Sehwag to bat in the middle order
4) Tendulkar
5) Pujara
6) Kohli
7) Dhoni
8) Ashwin
9) Zaheer
10) Ojha
11) Yadav

NZ XI is likely to be:

1) B McCullum
2) M Guptil
3) D Flynn/K Williamson
4) R Taylor (c)
5) K Williamson/D Flynn
6) J Franklin/BJ Watling
7) K van Wyk (wk)
8) D Bracewell
9) N Wagner
10) T Southee/T Boult/T Nethula/J Patel
11 C Martin

4th bowler is up in the air, depending on whether the selectors think a 4th half-decent seamer is better than a distinctly average spinner vs India.

Either way we're going to get hammered

I think this is a very poor match-up for New Zealand TBH.

A lot of their batsmen are stroke-makers who'll get frustrated by the slow pitches, and probably gift their wickets away before they have time to make a significant contribution.

Martin seems to have lost a bit of nip to me; Bracewell may do OK; don't know much about Wagner; Patel is very average, and unlikely to trouble the Indian batsmen; Vettori is a huge hole to fill, not only because he plays spin quite well himself.

It will be interesting to see how India's new middle-order players slot in - certainly they couldn't have asked for a much more placid bowling attack. Ashwin will be a handful in home conditions. I'm not sure Zaheer will be all that, he was distinctly under-par in Australia. Yadav will take wickets and go for runs.

Mike Selig wrote:I think this is a very poor match-up for New Zealand TBH.

A lot of their batsmen are stroke-makers who'll get frustrated by the slow pitches, and probably gift their wickets away before they have time to make a significant contribution.

Martin seems to have lost a bit of nip to me; Bracewell may do OK; don't know much about Wagner; Patel is very average, and unlikely to trouble the Indian batsmen; Vettori is a huge hole to fill, not only because he plays spin quite well himself.

It will be interesting to see how India's new middle-order players slot in - certainly they couldn't have asked for a much more placid bowling attack. Ashwin will be a handful in home conditions. I'm not sure Zaheer will be all that, he was distinctly under-par in Australia. Yadav will take wickets and go for runs.

I agree, we're likely to struggle. The drawn series in Aus last year was based on getting lucky on a seamer-friendly pitch. Martin's definitely getting on a bit. Wagner goes for runs, but does pick up wickets, early days in his career though. Vettori's batting will perhaps be missed more than his bowling, injuries and time have turned Dan into a defensive bowler - a bit better than Paul Harris still, but ...

True, but you always knew Vettori would contain.

I doubt Patel can do that against the indians...

I' go with

Mccullum
Guptill
Williamson
Taylor
Watling
Franklin
Van Wyk(wk)
Bracewell
J Patel
Boult
Wagner

KP_fan wrote:--So tomorrow starts more test match cricket.....
NZ hit some highs by drawing a series in Aus and holding SA to a creditable draw batting out 4 sessions.....
and then they hot a low losing rather tamely to WI in WI.....
the diffrence I believe between the high and the low was John Wright who they sacked.....
I saw they have some good left arm seamers, and Bracewell is a poor man's Vernon Philander with bat and ball.
In the absence of Vettori....Patel gets a break
Ross Taylor and McCullum are IPL stars and amply familiar with India.

--India is India......back to tigers at home and lambs abroad status after their dabble with status on top on the beac of some overseas wins...courtey Ganguly and Gary Kirsten.

We have to see if even their tigers at home status is unchallenged with VVSL and Dravid gone , Sehwag slowed and Tendulkar not so profilic any more.

England should be monitoring India's new middle order batters very very closely.....who are likely to be Pujara, Kohli and Rahane....exposing these will be Eng's best chance towards a battle of equality later.

What few notice but Kirsten remarked.....India's ascent was on the back of celver use and almost an equal contribution from their seamers, even in home conditions.

Zaheer is the best exponent of reverse after Wasim Akram....and Yadav is as fast as any one in the world on his day......produces half a dozen wicket taking balls...inspite of being expensive.

Indian spinners are not in the quality of Kumble and Harbhajan ( at his prime) anymore......but the pitches will ensure thay are a handful.

The Indian XI will be following.....i do not know enouhg about the NZ team to list the possible XI.

1) Sehwag
2) Gambhir
3) Rahane...althouhg a school of thouhg believes hanae should open and Sehwag to bat in the middle order
4) Tendulkar
5) Pujara
6) Kohli
7) Dhoni
8) Ashwin
9) Zaheer
10) Ojha
11) Yadav

Heck, looks so unfamiliar without Dravid and Laxman, maybe they should have played Harbhajan Singh at 3, who scored consecutive centuries here about 19 months ago

McCullum made a 200 at this venue last time and the NZ lads did have India in a spot of bother at times in that series.

Shall be interesting to watch.

KP_fan wrote:
England should be monitoring India's new middle order batters very very closely.....who are likely to be Pujara, Kohli and Rahane....exposing these will be Eng's best chance towards a battle of equality later.

What few notice but Kirsten remarked.....India's ascent was on the back of celver use and almost an equal contribution from their seamers, even in home conditions.

Zaheer is the best exponent of reverse after Wasim Akram....and Yadav is as fast as any one in the world on his day......produces half a dozen wicket taking balls...inspite of being expensive.

Indian spinners are not in the quality of Kumble and Harbhajan ( at his prime) anymore......but the pitches will ensure thay are a handful.

The Indian XI will be following.....i do not know enouhg about the NZ team to list the possible XI.

1) Sehwag
2) Gambhir
3) Rahane...althouhg a school of thouhg believes hanae should open and Sehwag to bat in the middle order
4) Tendulkar
5) Pujara
6) Kohli
7) Dhoni
8) Ashwin
9) Zaheer
10) Ojha
11) Yadav

The common school of thought is that Pujara will bat three, with Rahane and Raina (please no!) fighting it out for number six and Kohli moved up to five.

The idea of Pujara at three probably stems from his match-winning knock in that position against Australia before he got injured. But he's more of a strokemaker than Rahane and I think India need two solid players in the top three to counter having Sehwag up there. In my view they should resist that temptation, and put Rahane at 3.

Zaheer the best exponent of reverse swing since Wasim Akram?? No, that's Dale Steyn. He is a good bowler though, and I look forward to seeing how he gets on - in Australia he never looked quite fit whilst still being the best India had to offer.

Yadav? He does bowl occasional wicket taking balls but is only quick by Indian standards, and far too expensive for my liking. Having said that I think, as you predict, he'll get the nod ahead of Ishant Sharma.

New Zealand will only come out with any respectability if they bat sensibly. There isn't that much threat from the Indian seamers and if they bide their time there will be runs on offer. They carried themselves pretty well when the two teams met two years ago, but I think they'll struggle badly this time. Martin's display in West Indies indicates that age might finally have gotten the better of him (he's the oldest fast bowler in Test cricket by years), whilst the losses of Vettori and the lack of application from the NZ batsmen could be critical.

Give Jeets a break, Mike! He has had a fine season on wickets unconducive to spin!

With the number of new players on both teams I reckon everyone is guessing a bit...

The rule "back India to win at home " doesn't usually send punters broke , and Vettori leaves a hole that really can't be easily filled , but NZ have often managed to put up far more of a fight against strong opponents than looked possible on paper.

I fancy India to win , but am hoping the Kiwis will surprise us all and make it a lot closer than everyone expects.

I know Fists, but difference between taking some wickets in county cricket and going to India isn't it?

Mike Selig wrote:I know Fists, but difference between taking some wickets in county cricket and going to India isn't it?

Indeed but based on what I have saw of Dan Vettori in the first Test against WI, where he was outbowled by Williamson, Jeets can't be any worse.

Cricinfo's preview has Kohli at 3, Pujara 5 and Raina 6 with no Rahane. I guess we'll just have to wait until tomorrow morning then...

While this is looking like a 2-0 win for India with two innings victories, I hope New Zealand can spring an upset. Can't see it happening though.

Duty281 wrote:While this is looking like a 2-0 win for India with two innings victories, I hope New Zealand can spring an upset. Can't see it happening though.

don't be so sure......more than once...NZ seamres have run throuhg Indian top orders........leaving a huge catchup in second inning...whihc Indian did one time and back to back 100s from Harbhajan saved India blushes.

I believe it will be a competitive series

IMO India's line up will be

1.Rahane
2.Gambhir
3.Kohli
4.Tendulkar
5.Sehwag
6.Pujara
7.Dhoni C (wk)
8.Ashwin
9.Zaheer
10.Yadav
11.Ojha

Sehwag has expressed a desire to bat lower down the order, also they wish to accomdate Rahane seems easy enough.

The usually good for nothing pitch makers will try hard to ensure at least one draw, but I believe India go into the series as very strong favorites. But New Zealand is a side that almost always punch above themselves, and I won't be surprised if they put up a good show, particularly with our bowling lineup.
There is a strange new look to that India 11, no Dravid, no VVS. But I hope the new generation will take over, they can't be replacements to Dravid and VVS, but over the years Pujara, Rahane and Kohli will emerge as quality international batsmen. The match preview on cricinfo suggests the number 3 slot might go to Kohli and Pujara will be batting at 5. Badrinath and Raina are said to be fighting for the number 6 position.
If the Indian management would go for that path, I would be very disappointed. The selectors have given Ajinkya Rahane opportunities in the ODIs and T-20s and while he didn't disappoint, he didn't dazzle either. But the important point is the man with a fine temprament is at his best in the long format, and its high time he's given his chance. Raina isn't worth much as a test player, picking him itself was a bit of a surprise in the first place, he could come good on Indian pitches, but he's not one for all conditions. Rahane has a pretty decent technique, and the massive weight of first class runs. Badrinath is experienced, but I am not sure he has it in him to be successful across conditions, and unlike Rahane, he's not young any more.
I would go in with
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Gambhir
Ajinkya Rahane
Sachin Tendulkar
Cheteshwar Pujara
Virat Kohli
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Ravichandran Ashwin
Zaheer Khan
Pragyan Ojha
Umesh Yadav.

msp83 wrote:The usually good for nothing pitch makers will try hard to ensure at least one draw, but I believe India go into the series as very strong favorites. But New Zealand is a side that almost always punch above themselves, and I won't be surprised if they put up a good show, particularly with our bowling lineup.
There is a strange new look to that India 11, no Dravid, no VVS. But I hope the new generation will take over, they can't be replacements to Dravid and VVS, but over the years Pujara, Rahane and Kohli will emerge as quality international batsmen. The match preview on cricinfo suggests the number 3 slot might go to Kohli and Pujara will be batting at 5. Badrinath and Raina are said to be fighting for the number 6 position.
If the Indian management would go for that path, I would be very disappointed. The selectors have given Ajinkya Rahane opportunities in the ODIs and T-20s and while he didn't disappoint, he didn't dazzle either. But the important point is the man with a fine temprament is at his best in the long format, and its high time he's given his chance. Raina isn't worth much as a test player, picking him itself was a bit of a surprise in the first place, he could come good on Indian pitches, but he's not one for all conditions. Rahane has a pretty decent technique, and the massive weight of first class runs. Badrinath is experienced, but I am not sure he has it in him to be successful across conditions, and unlike Rahane, he's not young any more.
I would go in with
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Gambhir
Ajinkya Rahane
Sachin Tendulkar
Cheteshwar Pujara
Virat Kohli
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Ravichandran Ashwin
Zaheer Khan
Pragyan Ojha
Umesh Yadav.

Agree completely.

The only change I'd make (if we're limited to the current squad) would be to have Kohli 5 and Pujara 6.

Although Kohli hasn't done all that much in Tests yet his one-day record speaks for itself. I see number five as being his long-term position - he is a strokemaker, but with the class to make regular 100s. Batting at 5 is no bad thing with de Villiers, Clarke and when KP's around Bell all batting their for their respective teams. 3 is too high in Tests. He shouldn't be exposed to the new ball, particularly away from home.

Pujara is a work in progress. Whilst he had a good A tour he's firmly on the comeback trail. Number 6 seems the ideal spot for him right now, and, given the way he plays, might be his slot looking ahead too.

Shelsey , thing with Pujara is that he has a good technique and he loves accumulating runs rather than playing too many shots. Not suggesting Kohli is a flasher, but when needed Virat can really give it a go playing quality shots. Might be better batting with the lower order as well, something a number 6 should always expect to do more often than the other top order batters would. But one good thing with your suggestion is that Pujara has improved his First Class strike in recent times without compremizing on the quality of his shot making or selection, and often a number 6 would be encountered with the new ball, a challenge I believe Pujara is better able to deal with than is the case with Virat. Otherwise, I don't have too many complaints about their batting positions so long as they bat 5 or 6. But unlike Kohli, Pujara can be considered to bat 3. Among the 3 of Rahane himself and Kohli, its Pujara who has the lowest first class average at that position with Rahane topping it, but Pujara's technique is quite solid, even more than that of rahane. So for me Cheteshwar has the technique to bat 3,5 or 6, Rahane has done well at 3 and he has opened in the past for his Ranji side, and Kohli is good at 5 or 6.
When Sachin Tendulkar eventually calls it a day perhaps Virat can move down to 4 with India giving opportunities to someone beyond Raina and Rohit Sharma. As of now I can't see who that could be, but Manish Pandey, Ashok Menaria and even Manoj Tiwary could be contenters.

dhoni's words......is he telling us what has been agreed with the curator ?.....or is he sending the message to the curtaor ?
the message from Dhoni has been loud and clear......since he returned from Aus and Eng.....I want spin and bounce and when the biggest star in India backed by BCCI "demands"...he generally gets it

MS Dhoni, the India captain, has said he hopes the pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad will support spinners and generate some bounce and turn. However, he didn't say whether India would play two specialist spinners, though R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha are in the squad.

"When you come to the sub-continent, it's not like I am talking about [only] India, it could be Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh also, you need to have wickets that turn and that assist spinners. That's why they are special," Dhoni said. "Overall But it feels the spinners will get some bounce and turn as the game progresses."

and here is what HCA officials say......we will see tommorow

HCA secretary MV Sridhar said that the wicket will play good, “We have chosen this particular wicket as it seems to have a bit more bounce in it. It may not turn too much but the bounce should be a delight for the spinners. I think the close-in fielders will have a lot of work to do as the spinners will be able to make the ball jump.”

the curator's comments below and looks like spinning puitch is the guise Dhoni will use to play Raina as the 3rd spinner...althouhg Sehwag is as good a 3rd spinner as any

However, he predicted that the pitch would help spinners.

"We have added red soil to the usual black soil to help give the wicket some turn," he said.

"It should start turning after the second day." According to pitch experts, black soil binds strongly while red soil disintegrates quickly, which helps spin.

"What it (the addition of red soil) promises is good bounce and it cracks pretty early," added Chandrasekhar.

Suresh Raina bowled in the nets for a long time and presumably, MS Dhoni saw something in the wicket to allow his batsman, trying to make a Test comeback, to bowl at length.

Dhoni has always maintained that the Indian pitches should have something, some bit of life for the spinners. But he hasn't often got his way. But with the recent losses and all, there is a bit of a chance.
Dhoni did mention Raina as a potential slip catcher along with Virat and Sehwag, and adding the fact that he has had a longish bowling spel in the nets, I have an ominous feeling that he would be playing at 6. Would be a travesty, and if he makes runs(a serious possibility in home conditions against an average attack) then he will be in for some time and in the long run I don't think that's going to be of much benefit.

Sehwag has to bat down the order IMO, if you're planning for SA. If the idea is just to win these matches, he should open.

Indias home record is second to none, so it looks nye on impossible for NZ to get anything here. But with only the great Tendulka leff of the fab five, you never know.

The toss looks to be very important for NZ to win and bat long because this time around, the curator has said that the ball will turn from the second day onwards. And that could inspire the Indian spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha and Piyush Chawla. {whoever plays}.

Can the Indian youngsters achieve their potential, home conditions will definitely assist, we shall see. Tim Southee, who was effective in similar conditions in West Indies where he managed to cause them problems and could well be a big factor, but counteracted by the loss of Vettori.

Very interesting to see.

shankythebiggestengfan wrote:Sehwag has to bat down the order IMO, if you're planning for SA. If the idea is just to win these matches, he should open.

I would argue that the immediate plan is to re-stabilise by winning the England and Australia series. History would make them big favourites, but with the changes to the batting order and confidence losses of last year's tours these will be far from a given.

Planning for South Africa can follow later, but as you know I have a slightly different take on Sehwag to you. I think that in form he's so dangerous that even with his mediocre record outside of the sub-continent you open with him hoping for one of his special knocks.

Shelsey93 wrote:

shankythebiggestengfan wrote:Sehwag has to bat down the order IMO, if you're planning for SA. If the idea is just to win these matches, he should open.

I would argue that the immediate plan is to re-stabilise by winning the England and Australia series. History would make them big favourites, but with the changes to the batting order and confidence losses of last year's tours these will be far from a given.

Planning for South Africa can follow later, but as you know I have a slightly different take on Sehwag to you. I think that in form he's so dangerous that even with his mediocre record outside of the sub-continent you open with him hoping for one of his special knocks.

The fact is that even when in form, he has failed outside the subcontinent. His record in SA as an opener is nothing short of abysmal. An average of 19. Can't pick a team based on "hope and pray".

[quote="shankythebiggestengfan"
The fact is that even when in form, he has failed outside the subcontinent. His record in SA as an opener is nothing short of abysmal. An average of 19. Can't pick a team based on "hope and pray".[/quote]

I fully accept your point of view re Sehwag and won't make a big point of it We'll have to agree to disagree

Shelsey93 wrote:

shankythebiggestengfan wrote:
The fact is that even when in form, he has failed outside the subcontinent. His record in SA as an opener is nothing short of abysmal. An average of 19. Can't pick a team based on "hope and pray".

I fully accept your point of view re Sehwag and won't make a big point of it We'll have to agree to disagree

No I am just wondering what makes you feel he can do well outside the SC as an opener?

shankythebiggestengfan wrote:

Shelsey93 wrote:

shankythebiggestengfan wrote:
The fact is that even when in form, he has failed outside the subcontinent. His record in SA as an opener is nothing short of abysmal. An average of 19. Can't pick a team based on "hope and pray".

I fully accept your point of view re Sehwag and won't make a big point of it We'll have to agree to disagree

No I am just wondering what makes you feel he can do well outside the SC as an opener?

He has obvious abilities to pick up length, and can score in ways almost all others could only dream of in Tests. I wouldn't imagine that the pitch would make that much difference, though perhaps next time he needs to use his brain a little more and play a little more cautiously.

Of course, there are some mitigating factors:

1. In England he was rushed back after a serious injury
2. In Australia he still didn't have much form

Of course not all English, Australian and South African pitches are that different from Asia. Cape Town and the Wanderers can both be good grounds for quick-scoring batsmen.

The other point is of course would the alternative do any better? Rahane is clearly a good player but is as yet unproven. Its all too easy to say he would be a better opener away from home than Sehwag.

Having said that I reiterate that I appreciate that his record outside of Asia is moderate, and that he's more reliable at home.

Shelsey93 wrote:

shankythebiggestengfan wrote:

Shelsey93 wrote:

shankythebiggestengfan wrote:
The fact is that even when in form, he has failed outside the subcontinent. His record in SA as an opener is nothing short of abysmal. An average of 19. Can't pick a team based on "hope and pray".

I fully accept your point of view re Sehwag and won't make a big point of it We'll have to agree to disagree

No I am just wondering what makes you feel he can do well outside the SC as an opener?

He has obvious abilities to pick up length, and can score in ways almost all others could only dream of in Tests. I wouldn't imagine that the pitch would make that much difference, though perhaps next time he needs to use his brain a little more and play a little more cautiously.

Of course, there are some mitigating factors:

1. In England he was rushed back after a serious injury
2. In Australia he still didn't have much form

Of course not all English, Australian and South African pitches are that different from Asia. Cape Town and the Wanderers can both be good grounds for quick-scoring batsmen.

The other point is of course would the alternative do any better? Rahane is clearly a good player but is as yet unproven. Its all too easy to say he would be a better opener away from home than Sehwag.

Having said that I reiterate that I appreciate that his record outside of Asia is moderate, and that he's more reliable at home.

All fair points, Shelsey. As always, putting your points across nicely but I am not sure I agree but hey, it would be a dull world if we all agreed. The one thing that I'd like to say those is that I am not sure his ability to pick the length up is as good as it once was. (Quite natural, of course . Reflexes fade with age). But in case of Sehwag, his decline might be sharper than others because he is an instinctive players. With age, his reflexes are starting to desert him.

That said, I fully expect him to continue to run amock in the subcontinent. He is the guy I'm most worried for our series against India in November.

NZ have already announced their 11.

Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Daniel Flynn, James Franklin, Kruger Van Wyk, Doug Bracewell, Jeetan Patel, Trent Boult and Chris Martin.

Should have picked Wagner ahead of Bracewell. He gets reverse swing, which will be the key in India.

Can't believe that they have left out Southee, Bizzare.

Not a first choice bowler for Tests.

India having won the toss and batting are 97-2 at lunch. Gautam Gambhir went for 22 and Virender Sehwag went for 47, both trying to be too smart trying to dab the ball behind the wicket. Tendulkar and Pujara have stuck out since then. So its Pujara at 1 down and no place for Rahane. And its not Badrinath at 6 it is Raina, and I think that is a desperately poor call from the team management. Should have been Rahane/Pujara at 3 and Pujara/Rahane/Kohli at 5 or 6. Thankfully they haven't gone for Ishant Sharma, its Umesh Yadav and Zaheer Khan in charge of the pace department, and as expected Ashwin and Ojha the prefered spinners.

I was a bit surprised at New Zealand not playing BJ Watling. Of course he failed oening the innings in the one testt in West Indies, but coming down the order during the ODI series he played really very well, and considering not many of the New Zealand batters had runs under their belt in recent times I thought he should have been given a go.

Raina...failure in tests, nothing exceptional in First class....is playing ahead of Rahane, Rohit, Tiwari, Badri all averaging 60ish in FC cricket.......

India is plagued with same problems as England...that of ageda based selctions and politics........only the cultural flavour is diffrent.

Sehwag and Gambhir wasted opportunities to get 100s

Meanwhile India has beaten NZ in the u-19 world cup to make it to the finals....anotehr tight finish and NZ lose by 9 runs.....left too much for too late

and India-aUS FINALS

Tendulkar goes......bowled neck and crop..to a good delivery...came in with pace and went throuhg the gate...made to look better because of lack of feet movment from sachin.
Is is just lack of practise.....or a slower eye in picking the ball

NZ with an upper hand for the moment

There goes Tendulkar, its Boult who bowled him. Never got going, and Tendulkar goes into a shel then 9 out of 10 times he would get out without doing much.

Interestingly, Tendulkar doesn't average 50+ against NZ home or away!. Think today was more of a case of the longish gap, the time away from the game and when he came lunch was getting closer and India were 2 down pushing him into a very defensive mindset that often is the biggest problem for Tendulkar. .

msp83 wrote:Interestingly, Tendulkar doesn't average 50+ against NZ home or away!. Think today was more of a case of the longish gap, the time away from the game and when he came lunch was getting closer and India were 2 down pushing him into a very defensive mindset that often is the biggest problem for Tendulkar. .

correct..an aggressive Tendulkar is much better than a diffident one......even when trying to play himsefl back in form.

NZ pace bowling looking better than that of England as we saw against SA......... and consistently a yard to yard and a half faster ( excecpt Finn)

Patel is made to look a worldbeater out there, they are not able to get him away at all.

Pujara delivers to reputation...so far and gets a 50.
ability to build and play long innings....temperamentally a like replacement for Dravid.

technically not quite so.....his defense is not quite as straight bat.....and the defensive push tends to use a bit of bottom hand and drag the bat and push towrds mid on...mid wicket....closing the face a bit.

he will have to sort this out.........won't make a diffrence in India but will be exposed in Eng, SA and Nz where the conditions or the pitch offers movement......he can negate bounce..because of his essentially back-footed play and a swivel pull he has in his armoury....but late movement will trouble him.

India 182-3 at tea. Pujara has shown a fine temprament in scoring his 2nd test 50.
Although New Zealand didn't pick up any more wickets after that of Tendulkar, they have been able to keep the scoring rate under control, and so India haven't managed to get away from them. A couple of quick wickets after tea, and they are right back in itt. But if Pujara and Kohli continue to bat the way they have done so far, getting that wicket won't be all that easy. New Zealand haven't missed Vetori so much as yet with the ball.

Pujara going pass his test best by taking 3 boundaries of Boult in an over, India 216-3. Taylor responds by bringing Kane Williamson on to bowl for the first time in the match. He's more than useful as a spinner.
But Bracewell seems to have injured himself.

the new generation has not made the absence of the " seniors" be felt...so far

NZ making the same mistakes that England did - you cannot drop the likes of Kohli and Pujara. Catches win matches and they're about to find that out the hard way. Pathetic performance.

Haven't been watching, but echo the thoughts of both of you regarding Tendulkar.

Not surprised but somewhat disappointed to see Raina given the nod ahead of Rahane. Raina may very well do well against a somewhat pedestrian NZ attack at home, but unless he's significantly improved on several aspects (spin, swing and short ball to name 3) he's surely going to struggle in the main. Maybe he has improved, I don't know.

Pujara showing his temparament, looks like he'll get his first test century. Not surprised TBH. Kohli has now settled in test cricket. I imagine when Sachin eventually goes he could move up to 4.

Patel has surprised me, but if Bracewell can't bowl that is a big loss. Franklin is more of a part-timer these days...

Still not sure this New-Zealand batting line up can score a big total, unless Taylor gets his brain in gear I suppose.