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wisden wrote:Another hundred for Kamindu Mendis! Averages 83 now in tests, 922 runs in 8 test matches!

amazing

Duty281 wrote:

sirfredperry wrote:Arguably, well probably definitely, NZ's greatest triumph, and all without their best batsman. Terrific decision by the umpire to give Ashwin at the end, with NZ out of reviews.

Ajaz was getting amazing turn but as long as Pant was there you felt India would creep home.

Good to see an away win given the shortness of tours, the lack of climatisation and the cooking of wickets. It could be that India will actually find it easier in Australia where they won't be tormented by SLA spin.

Cummins on the phone to Hauritz, trying to drag him out of retirement for this series.

And when the phone doesn't answer, Plan B is a WhatsApp message to Michael Beer

Duty281 wrote: Also, just as a reminder, NZ lost 2-0 in SL immediately before this series, including one game where they lost by an innings! Bizarre turnaround.

I have been contemplating for some-time that India would lose to SL whether they played in Lanka or India
And the warning signs were when India failed 3 ODIs in a row on spinning tracks failing to get modest 200ish with near full strength test side

KL or Axar may not have changed the outcome much. KL is a mediocre batter with an average of 34 who also have issues playing spin. Axar has been found wanting in his primary duties as a bowler. Washington Sundar has upstaged him in the pecking order, and rightfully so.
But I agree with KPF's views on Sarfaraz in an earlier post. The doubts about him aren't quite new. Despite his impressive FC record, it took a lot of time for him to be picked in the test side. One reason was that he was perceived to be a bit week on the short ball. Another was that he didn't quite perform when given the opportunity with India A. Yet anothe was that he batted 5 or below for Mumbai and often faced bowling units that were already cracking. Sarfaraz did make a case for himself in the opportunities he has got, and he surely is earning a squad place for now. But 1 innings of 150 can't mask 5 failures around it on a consistent basis. India were quick to move on from Cheteshwar Pujara. He still is piling on the runs at FC level, be that at home, or away in county cricket. A test return may not be a serious possibility at this stage, but we need some solidity in this lineup. Someone who has a strong defense, and the ability to keep ticking the scoreboard without going hard at every ball. I am hoping Eeswaran can play that role. That can mean Gill can move down to 4... Of all the top Indian batters who has had problems v left-arm slow bowling, he has shown the most improvement in the last 8 9 months. Its a work in progress, and he hasn't made a case for himself with that 2nd innings dismissal today, but he's worth investing in for sure. If Kohli can't score runs in Australia, he's not going to score many more anywhere. This time round, the Australians might not be as worried about him as much as they may have been in recent times... Virat looks like someone who has one foot crossed over the retirement line...

KP_fan wrote:India was so strong at home that about 5 or 6 players  were carrying load of 11 notably Bumrah with ball in a couple of tests.vs Eng, Axar with bat against Aus and Pant with bat in the series against Eng before that and Ashwin Jadeja  were at their peak prowess with ball.
The latter two declined , Kuldeep unfit , Rohit went from full to quarter and Kohli from quarter to zilch as batters.
And the Titanic sank.

India could have elongated batting with KL for Siraj and axar for Deep...but there can be many iffs and buts

Yes I did think they might have misjudged the pitch a bit. Considering all the pace men from both sides managed just 29 overs and 4 wickets for the match , lengthening the batting at the cost of a seamer probably would have been a good idea. Though three spinners was probably enough. They just really didn't bat very well in either innings , did they ? (Apart from Pant , of course... and Gill in the first innings.) Washington held up an end rather better than a lot of those paid for their batting...

Hopefully Abhimanyu makes himself undroppable in the limited opportunity that he's likely to get. That means when Rohit returns, they can drop Sarfaraz, move Gill to 4, and make Virat go down to 5. Sarfaraz might still be able to do it at the top. But KL Rahul isn't the answer to India's problems. Hopefully someone younger, with a more rounded temperament, and a wealth of experience dealing with domestic spinners, will step in soon...

KL or Axar may not have changed the outcome much. KL is a mediocre batter with an average of 34

Hi msp
KL gets on my team sheet ahead of Sarafaraz , Rohit and Kohli
Sure like hell with KL and Axar we had a much better chance of getting 30 to 40 runs in each inning and 70 odd in the match.
We can agree to disagree , and time will tell.

I see KL playing for India for about 4 more years and Sarfaraz no more than 4 more innings

I am expecting that wheels will turn in the backdrop and  kohli and Rohit will (be asked to) retire before BGT starts

KPF, think they both will get the BGT. And we may not see Rohit, Kohli and Ashwin beyond that. Of the super-seniors, only Jadeja is likely to survive a bit longer. Of course unless Rohit and Kohli can find a late wind in their careers that can keep it going for a while longer. That would take some doing at this stage though. And even if they both have outstanding series and India ends up somehow winning the series, they both might on their own, decide to call it a day by the end of the series, or if India make a rather unlikely entry to the WTC final, then that might be the end point. Don't see them playing another full home season as of now... Would be happy if they can prove it all wrong. But hard to see that happening.

As already established, we are not on the same page on KL. He was one of those players who really excited me when he came on to the seen. I was happy to see him evolving into an all-format player. But after that top time around 2016-17, KL has stagnated and regressed. He's stubborn and not so willing to change either, as indicated by his batting approach in T-20s. The only solid achievement of his last 7 years has been his middle order transformation in ODIs, that too when taking the big gloves. Hopefully, if he gets further chances that does seem very likely in Australia, KL will be able to do something similar. But I'll believe when it actually happens...

The weakening of India at Home was distinctly visible, cracks were appearing but the crash didn't come because it was such a mega powerhouse that it could overcome strongest visiting sides at even 60% strength

1- Batting has been getting progressively worse....against the spinners.
The tendency to plant foot & play safely "from crease" without using feet or without sweeping was the malaise.
The Big 4 i.e Rahane, Kohli, Pujara and Rohit were the biggest culprits and within them Rohit by far the least until he collapsed completely now.
India was bailed out by the batting heroics of lower middle Pant, Jadeja, Ashwin and Axar which is where India's real runs came from....enuf runs still for the vastly superior spinners to work their magic.
Rahane & Puajara were in stardom and SM following far lower than the other two and hence were dumped, while both being far less diminished  than Kohli.

2- Great spinners Jadeja & Ashwin's decline was visible in the last series vs Eng and I noted it on this forum, and it was clear that they were not getting the same zipp & bite as they did at their peak.
And in this series, they declined further to not having control either.
Jadeja took wickets as did Ashwin but if it's a spinning pitch even average spinners will take wicket
Point to note is if your spinners take wickets conceding more runs than Hartley, Azaz and for godsaake Santner to take same or lesser wickets, then your team will struggle to win.
In the series vs Eng Bumrah bowled two spells that blew Eng away and Kuldeep was in peak form, else India might have lost that series also.

Indians Spinners are taking lesser wickets  / more expensive wickets & India is carrying 3 to 4 deadload batters and the deficit became so big that Pant could not pull it thru as Jadeja, Ashwin have declined with the bat and neither Jaiswal nor Gill could deliver a super series

The cracks couldn't be covered, the deficit of dead-loads could not be made up and the megalith Ice-berg that was cracking fell off......the Titanic sank depending on how you want to look at it.

3- Gambhir Factor: is one where i am not sure.
One part tells me he is identifying the right talent & making right moves.
On the other hand I see exacerbated  batting troubles to spin starting from ODIs in SL.....and suspect he desires make a mark immediately with a special brand of cricket. And in this hurry to do big things not creating enuf clarity in minds of players

Most important inability to communicate to the team How to Bat....with what mix of aggression & caution.
Every one of 6 innings Indian collapsed in a heap...to some pretty pathetic & historically low totals.

Reserve the judgement and hope he find the right speed and balance.

Going Forward:
-Kohli, Ashwin& Rohit have to go......before BGT, in the midst of it or at latest at the end of it.
None of them will be on tour to Eng.

-Jadeja plays as a batsman cum 3rd spinner in India for a a bit more...and fights for a spot with Washington for sole spinner overseas and we might see this tussle now during BGT.
In India Kuldeep & Washington the first 2 spinners with offie Tanush Kotian , and SLAs  Suthar & Shams Mulani challenging everyone.
all of them can bat decently

-Who will be the Captain...I don't think Bumrah is a good choice for 2 reasons
1- He  is a fast bowler who cannot play all games and wil break down
2-He is not clever & composed...panics quite fast.

I would Park captaincy with KL & groom Pant & Gill for long term test captaincy.

msp83 wrote:As already established, we are not on the same page on KL. He was one of those players who really excited me when he came on to the seen. I was happy to see him evolving into an all-format player. But after that  top time around  2016-17, KL has stagnated and regressed. He's stubborn and not so willing to change either, as indicated by his batting approach in T-20s. The only solid achievement of his last 7 years has been his middle order transformation in ODIs, that too when taking the big gloves. Hopefully, if he gets further chances that does seem very likely in Australia, KL will be able to do something similar. But I'll believe when it actually happens...

KL Rahul is  as good an overseas batter I have seen from India in the league below Tendular, Dravid, Kohli,  and Pant...and at par with Rahane & Pujara
He has scored 100s in Aus, Eng and SA.
Wait till we all see how the newer breed performs in foreign conditions & then we will be grateful we have KL for 4 more years...averaging 35ish is not great , but as good as we have
I think our disagreement extends to Bumrah as a captain also ( see my note above)

KPF, I am sure you haven't forgotton the kind of frustration that KL Rahul's captaincy put us through in South Africa. And if I remember, you were a lot more critical of his captaincy than I was... If captaincy is also given to him on a platter, then what is the minimal incentive for KL to score a run or 2? Also remember how his IPL captaincy has been extremely formulaic, unimaginative and inflexible? Besides, he has the Sachin Problem, thinks he has to do it all by himself when it comes to scoring the runs... in Tendulkar's case at least, one can say India's batting well into the 90s, was totally dependent on him to deliver, particularly overseas. KL couldn't get anything out of players like Nic Pooran and Glen Maxwell... It will be an absolute disaster if he's presented with the test captaincy that neither his batting performances, nor his leadership abilities qualify him for.

If KL Rahul is the only hope from the current available lot, I'd rather have Cheteshwar Pujara back...

msp  
I indeed found KL as captain frustrating because of his flat, unenergetic handling. Since then a couple of things have changed.

1. That was when there was a overly calm and process driven Dravid and that made both captain and coach lacking aggression.
Now the coach is aggressive and excitable so a calm captain is more workable.

2. KL is all who we have as a senior batsman ( once Kohli and Rohit are out)...so the only batsman candidate for captaincy until one of Gill or Pant gets ready.

I read excerpts from Anderson's autobiography in an English newspaper
I was threatened like Joe Pesci in GoodFellas in a murky bar in Manchester into quitting.
Retire Now
Or
Retire after one test.
lesson for  BCCI.   .
That's literally how they need to invite Kohli & Rohit into a Coffeehouse and give same choice

https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/kl-rahul-dhruv-jurel-to-play-second-india-a-match-against-australia-a-6936295

KL and Jurel are flying ahead to play thr second India A test match.
This shows
KL is being prepared to play T1 and where he bats in this A game will give away whether he will open or Eswaran.
Jurel playing might indicate India might be thinking of playing Pant as a pure batter

KP_fan wrote:msp  
I indeed found KL as captain frustrating because of his flat, unenergetic handling. Since then a couple of things have changed.

1. That was when there was a overly calm and process driven Dravid and that made both captain and coach lacking aggression.
Now the coach is aggressive and excitable so a calm captain is more workable.

2. KL is all who we have as a senior batsman ( once Kohli and Rohit are out)...so the only batsman candidate for captaincy until one of Gill or Pant gets ready.

I read excerpts from Anderson's autobiography in an English newspaper
I was threatened like Joe Pesci in GoodFellas in a murky bar in Manchester into quitting.
Retire Now
Or
Retire after one test.
lesson for  BCCI.   .
That's literally how they need to invite Kohli & Rohit into a Coffeehouse and give same choice

I had my doubts about Gautam Gambhir as coach from the outset. Nothing since has convinced me that those were misplaced apprehensions. But as you said, judgement need to be reserved, at least upto the Australia series.
So the coach may have changed, but nothing much has changed in KL Rahul as such. Gambhir might be able to try out new players, but on field, its the skipper who leads the action. And KL was found most wanting on-field. He was just so poor.
Gill's batting against spin particularly, being a work in progress, think they should look at Pant or Bumrah. Bumrah is one of the most thinking bowlers around. Given a longer run, I am sure he can bring the same to his on-field captaincy. But considering his workload, eventually it may not be a great idea. The captain has to be one of Pant, Gill or Jaiswal. None of them are ideal at this stage, but if he has a good BGT, I would take a punt on Gill. He has captaincy experience at different levels. He's not very formulaic. And while MS Dhoni showed that wicketkeepers can be captains, Pant being India's top test batter, it might be better to leave him with enough breathing space to be himself rather than worrying about all the stuff beyond the field...
And if KL Rahul can put 3 successful test matches together, we can at least talk about his name... When was the last time he did that BTW!?

KP_fan wrote:https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/kl-rahul-dhruv-jurel-to-play-second-india-a-match-against-australia-a-6936295  

KL and Jurel are flying ahead to play thr second India A test match.
This shows
KL is being prepared to play T1 and where he bats in this A game will give away whether he will open or Eswaran.
Jurel playing might indicate India might be thinking of playing Pant as a pure batter

KL might play that first test in any case, ahead of Sarfaraz... Not sure they'll take the big gloves away from Pant. Jurel is a decent keeper-bat, but not in Rishabh's league as a package. Pant is better at keeping to pace rather than spin. So if they are giving him the gloves in spinning conditions, no reason not to do the same in seaming conditions. Unless of course, he has some discomfort on that knee or something...
The latest project on KL is Rahul as Middle Order safeguard! Don't think they'd quickly go back to him to go back up the order...

msp83 wrote:

I had my doubts about Gautam Gambhir as coach from the outset. Nothing since has convinced me that those were misplaced apprehensions. But as you said, judgement need to be reserved, at least upto the Australia series.

On GG I think we are aligned & more suspicious of his ways  then his  ability to deliver.
But have to give him a bit more time. Given the passion that cricket generates his rope is rather small.
And BGT is the time limit.
Although his contract is 2 or 3 years he won't last that long if he doesn't deliver the minimum acceptable result in BGT and that is

Win the series by any margin
Draw the series
Or lose no worse than 2-1 or 3-2

Else VVS Laxman will be the coach for next engagement

Australia won the first ODI of three v Pakistan today.

Australia were cruising at 113/2, in pursuit of 204, but a sudden collapse left them teetering at 155/7. A captain's knock of 32* from Cummins got them home.

It was a great game to be fair, low scoring odi's normally are, rauf bowled with great pace and aggression but cummins has done it so often now for Australia in run chases

KP_fan wrote:

msp83 wrote:

I had my doubts about Gautam Gambhir as coach from the outset. Nothing since has convinced me that those were misplaced apprehensions. But as you said, judgement need to be reserved, at least upto the Australia series.

On GG I think we are aligned & more suspicious of his ways  then his  ability to deliver.
But have to give him a bit more time. Given the passion that cricket generates his rope is rather small.
And BGT is the time limit.
Although his contract is 2 or 3 years he won't last that long if he doesn't deliver the minimum acceptable result in BGT and that is

Win the series by any margin
Draw the series
Or lose no worse than 2-1 or 3-2

Else VVS Laxman will be the coach for next engagement

Not sure VVS will be the man we need. Dravid, while not the most agressive on the face of things, was good at ground work, technical refinement and man-management. VVS is also like to provide a calm perspective, but not sure the latter 2 are his strengths.

Need is of shastri but what we will get is one who is in queue and that's VVSL

More signs of muddled thinking from the team management. Cricinfo reports that KL Rahul is likely to open in case Rohit doesn't make it for Perth. I don't mind KL for Sarfaraz at 6 from this squad of players. However, Abhimanyu has earned his chance, and Sarfaraz may not be the best suited to the bouncy, quick pitches... Abhimanyu is also the type of player who values his wicket first before showing off his range of shots...

Bangladesh collapse from 120/2 to 143ao, thus losing the first ODI v Afghanistan. Afghanistan's 18 year old off break bowler, AM Ghazanfar, took 6/26. Is this another spinning terror they've located?

msp83 wrote:More signs of muddled thinking from the team management. Cricinfo reports that KL Rahul is likely to open in case Rohit doesn't make it for Perth. I don't mind KL for Sarfaraz at 6 from this squad of players. However, Abhimanyu has earned his chance, and Sarfaraz may not be the best suited to the bouncy, quick pitches... Abhimanyu is also the type of player who values his wicket first before showing off his range of shots...

I think I wrote this.
That KL is likely to be considered as an opener and why not?
He is the ONLY opener from.Asia to have scored a 100 in Eng, Aus and SA

However as I read Indian management's approach they are trying to maximize options

If Eswaran succeeds he will open in T1 and KL will replace Sarfaraz
If Eswaran fails and Jurel does well, then Jurel keeps wickets and plays for Pant  and Pant as pure batter keeping sarfaraz out  and KL opens.

If Jurel and Eswaran both do well then they both play as does KL and Kohli will wake up with a stuff neck
If sai Sudarshan or Paddikal score a 100 or even a big 50 , in that case too Kohli is likely to develop a stiff neck.

Managed to watch the lats bit of Ind-A / Aus-A game.

Commentators were lavish in praise of the very classy inning of 80 runs from  Jurel who came in the 2nd over and was 9th man down, on a very difficult pitch.
Seam movement & bounce Neser was looking unplayable in highlights & snapped his hamstring after doing the damage.

For India Krishna looked fast and bowling Aussie length, getting the ball to climb,  Khaleel was brisk & squaring up batters, Mukesh juts medium but very controlled.

If you are unfortunate to lose the toss, you will be 4 down in not time.....key is to have depth in batting to put some runs on the board.
Whoever opens will be a sacrificial lamb.

Watched the highlights too... it was an aggressive start from the Aus A bowlers. Not much fun for the Ind A top order with Neser's deadly accurate opening spell. Jurel did very well to hang in there. Someone's got to stop gluing the bails to the stumps! Thought Webster bowled very well too and got the rewards. KL was out early today but he'll get another chance in the 3rd innings when the pitch has settled a bit more. In the meantime, we'll see how the Aus batting goes tomorrow. Harris needs to push on and hopefully contribute to a lead of some sort after hopefully knocking off the 108-run deficit.


I'm also putting the feelers out for the upcoming BG Trophy Tipping Competition.

I've been a bit busy with other projects this year; hence was unable to do much in the tipping comp realm.
The India-NZ 3-Tester would have been a great one to do in retrospect! So too that other recent one.  

So, if anyone's interested, please let me know if you'd be willing to put your picks in for the whole 5 Test series.
It's a long commitment I know (starts Nov 22; finishes Jan 8) but somehow it does seem to move quickly.

Think we need at least a good dozen of us to make it viable.

Pal Joey wrote:Watched the highlights too... it was an aggressive start from the Aus A bowlers. Not much fun for the Ind A top order with Neser's deadly accurate opening spell. Jurel did very well to hang in there. Someone's got to stop gluing the bails to the stumps! Thought Webster bowled very well too and got the rewards. KL was out early today but he'll get another chance in the 3rd innings when the pitch has settled a bit more. In the meantime, we'll see how the Aus batting goes tomorrow. Harris needs to push on and hopefully contribute to a lead of some sort after hopefully knocking off the 108-run deficit.


I'm also putting the feelers out for the upcoming BG Trophy Tipping Competition.

I've been a bit busy with other projects this year; hence was unable to do much in the tipping comp realm.
The India-NZ 3-Tester would have been a great one to do in retrospect! So too that other recent one.  

So, if anyone's interested, please let me know if you'd be willing to put your picks in for the whole 5 Test series.
It's a long commitment I know (starts Nov 22; finishes Jan 8) but somehow it does seem to move quickly.

Think we need at least a good dozen of us to make it viable.

Hi PJ
a tipping competition would be great
I think Ind-Aus, Ashes & Ind-Eng warrant tipping competitions , off-course your time permitting.

I am curious to know the nature of pitches....how have these behaved in First Class and what can we expect?

Perth Fast &Bouncy?
MCG green seaming & bouncy like it was today?
do these pitches settle & get easier as game progresses

And can we expect Adelaide, Brisbane and SCG to be relatively flatter with some support for spin?

KL Rahul didn't have a great game, neither did Easwaran. But Dhruv Jurel doing no damage to his cause. The lad has an impressive temperament, though I can't see them preferring to leave the gloves with him and play Pant only as a batter. Hopefully, Abhimanyu gets some runs in the 2nd innings. Rahul should stick to his most recent middle order version...

KP_fan wrote:

I am curious to know the nature of pitches....how have these behaved in First Class and what can we expect?

Perth Fast &Bouncy?
MCG green seaming & bouncy like it was today?
do these pitches settle & get easier as game progresses

And can we expect Adelaide, Brisbane and SCG to be relatively flatter with some support for spin?

So am I, KP_f.

As Abraham Lincoln once said:

"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time." We can probably extend that wise notion to cricket by saying "one ball at a time"

Generally speaking, as we've all watched matches play out across these venues over the years, we've seen patterns emerge regarding the nature of the pitches. However, by the same token; nothing is ever constant. You're probably correct in your above expectations at a first glance but to complicate things a little; here are some other factors to consider:

T1 - By moving the 1st Test to Perth at Optus; it will be played in late spring rather than early summer. Only a few weeks difference... but still... what affect that has on pace and bounce is hard to measure. Think they've used the same soil they use at the WACA (just across the river) and probably the same turf / grass seed. The women played there (WACA) last night. 2 games. For the first, the target was 170 (20 overs) and the chasers got close but lost by 20 runs or so. For the second (under lights); the target was 108 and the chasers failed to reach that.

Another thing to consider is that at Optus - 2 local AFL teams play alternative home matches every weekend from March-September and that ground is now about 7 years old. So for cricket; it has had a good trampling over its relatively short life and the curators do the rest to ensure it is 'fit for purpose'. So depending on the weather in the lead up to 22 Nov and the actual playing days (forecast 20-28 at the start... decreasing to 15-22 by D5) it's still not 100% probability but safe to say there could be some juice in there for the respective pace attacks and the usual value for shots on such a big ground.

T2 - This match will be played about a week earlier than the 1st Test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar series was and is also a day-night Test. So we can hopefully expect a similar result. From what I've seen in recent weeks (albeit for domestic 50-over fixtures) the ground looks in superb condition as usual. I'm going there in a few weeks time (unfortunately about 2 weeks before this match) but I'll ask around and try and do a closer inspection if possible... and keep you posted. It's expected to be around 15-25 deg. for the duration but don't be surprised if that forecast is totally wrong and the ground gets a desert blow dry and greatly assists the spinners even under lights. The seamers should have a bit of fun too. The 2nd ODI v Pakistan starts later on today so we'll see how the ground looks and how players perform.

T3 - It will be interesting to see how this match at the 'Gabba plays out. They say we're well into a La Niña event already, which is hitting SEQ / northern NSW as evidenced by earlier than usual higher rainfall up there. Much less down here at present. Then again, we're not even into the cyclone season yet but I also heard somewhere that this phenomena will start to peter out late December / early January. That begs the question however, what about the typical summer peak cyclone season and will its affects bleed (more water) further south? Hopefully not but you can never be so sure. There can be pretty violent thunderstorms in that part of the world at that time of year but they are over and done with quickly and the next day you wouldn't know what has just been when you see the clear skies the following morning. The humidity does linger around however as the next wet cycle builds up again. So I guess it's a case of fingers crossed for a good window of days to enable an outcome. Mightn't need all 5 days?

T4 - Yes, the MCG did have a lot of life in it yesterday; especially early on. However, I expect it to settle a little ~ or maybe not... having just looked at the cooler temperatures over the coming days and the great effort the quicks seem to be putting in. As for the time around Boxing Day - it is predicted to be quite warm but as alfie might tell us : you never quite know ; it can all change rather suddenly and have a dramatic affect on playing conditions. Must say though; the ground looks to be in pristine condition at the moment.

T5 - I know we're competing with Manchester for the unenviable title of "The Most Test Match Days Lost To Foul Weather Since... Forever" but I can honestly say it certainly doesn't feel that way from memory - taking a look outside just now - even though it's November. Perfect for a game of cricket! I guess the flip side of the poor historical record was January 2018; when we had the most brutally hot conditions I've ever experienced living here (posted about it on the day on here) when it reached 47 degrees and poor Joe was carted off to hospital completely dehydrated. I don't think that will ever happen again and hopefully not in January 2025. It's typically around 18-28 for that time of year but I'm guessing things will depend on how much the La Niña has diminished - doesn't seem to have had such an influence thus far but it's difficult to predict how conditions might be in 2 months time. There's always the chance of a more typical summer pattern happening - a few days of really nice warm weather, blue skies... then some cloud / humidity building up (so more spin friendly) then a late afternoon bucketing of rain clearing up overnight to repeat the 4-5 day cycle. So all we can do is hope we get a clear window for this one; especially if the series is still undecided.

I know this is more of a crystal ball exercise on the potential variability and (un)predictability of weather conditions players may face and not a detailed explanation of how each blade of grass or piece of dust will affect the player's performances for the duration and hence the final outcome. Just giving you a bit of a feel of the current situation. It's great to see the A-teams test things out at the moment. You can see the confidence (esp. for the Indians) growing as they get more familiar with playing conditions at different venues.

So I'm as eagerly awaiting for this series to kick off as you are, KP_f.  It should be very entertaining as usual... and hopefully not too much controversy

The local media will be gutted if there is "not too much controversy" !

We have already seen an apparent ball-tampering accusation in the "A-team" match... with some helpful input from Dave Warner

alfie wrote:The local media will be gutted if there is "not too much controversy" !

We have already seen an apparent ball-tampering accusation in the "A-team" match... with some helpful input from Dave Warner  

Yes, that was hard to believe wasn't it? Of all the people to voice their opinion... we have him. Actually I'm not surprised.

Also something else happened today. Just missed it. Harris not given out by the umpire? Was it an lbw or an edge not given out?

Australia have collapsed in a pile in Adelaide I see. They'll be lucky to get to 170 and give themselves a chance with the ball. Warner on again to rub salt into the wounds.

In the other game, Sudharsan just out caught Bancroft. Looked very close to not carrying. India A 31/2 trailing by 31 runs as well.

msp83 wrote: KL Rahul didn't have a great game, neither did Easwaran. But Dhruv Jurel doing no damage to his cause. The lad has an impressive temperament, though I can't see them preferring to leave the gloves with him and play Pant only as a batter. Hopefully, Abhimanyu gets some runs in the 2nd innings.  Rahul should stick to his most recent middle order  version...

That's pretty much the script in 2nd inning too.
Jurel might have sealed a place for himself in the 11....whether they use him as a WK or Pant remains to be seen or depending on who plays a long inning the other can keep or split the WK between both.

Krishna has looked the fastest & most potent, with his natural short of good length deliveries climbing into batter because of the bounce in pitches there.

Openers job would be to eat as many balls and remove shine &hardness...runs will come from middle order i.e 5 thru 9
If that's understood than Eswaran might get the nod as opener...and India needs to have batting resources until 9.
If Reddy converts to a 50 tomm he might be in too

Pal Joey wrote:T1 - By moving the 1st Test to Perth at Optus; it will be played in late spring rather than early summer. Only a few weeks difference... but still... what affect that has on pace and bounce is hard to measure. Think they've used the same soil they use at the WACA (just across the river) and probably the same turf / grass seed. The women played there (WACA) last night. 2 games. For the first, the target was 170 (20 overs) and the chasers got close but lost by 20 runs or so. For the second (under lights); the target was 108 and the chasers failed to reach that.

I didn't know first test is not being played at WACA anymore
Adelaide.....we hope it's not the same as last time...but this is seemingly the designated D/N test venue & Pink ball does a lot under lights
India's hope would be Brisbane & SCG if they can get to those tests being not more than 1 down

Surprise defeat for Australia in the second ODI v Pakistan. Australia were bowled out for 163, Rauf 5/29, and Pakistan had zero problems chasing it down in 26.3 overs.

Good chance for Pakistan to get a series win in the decider, as Australia will have numerous players absent for that one.

A four game T20 series between South Africa and India starts later today. Nothing reveals more about the state of the congested calendar than both teams, India especially, missing a lot of their regular starters. India only have four players from the World T20 success in their squad for this series.

If Jurel gets runs tomorrow, his case will be strengthened. But they send KL early to find some, any, whatever reason to somehow select him. So not sure the 14 runs at an impressive average of 7 for the A game will hamper his chances in any way! Jurel causing a bit of a think. He's getting tough runs against a decent attack. But he's picked as wicketkeeper backup to Rishabh Pant. There are the likes of Easwaran, Sarfaraz and KL among whom the 6th batting position, and Rohit Standin has to be picked in the normal course of events. Lets see how Gambhir goes...
Hope Nitish Reddy gets some runs under his belt, I have a strong feeling he'll be making his test debut during the series, if not in the first test, then later on. With the batting unit struggling and not much to count from Deep, Bumrah and Siraj with the bat, they might need to play Reddy at 8 as they are unlikely to go in with 2 spinners and Washington and Ashwin are not likely to be that first spinner. Jadeja's batting credentials are better than most in the squad, and the 10for in the last test may have restored some bowling confidence in him.
The one who is adding more thinking requirement for the management is Krishna. He didn't seem ready during a tough test debut. But he has the physical attributes, and a good FC record going for him. He has decent pace too. And now good recent form. Will they go for him ahead of Siraj or Akash? Considering he can hang about with the bat too a little bit, and considering Siraj has been in poor wickettaking form of late, that might be a call they may have to take.
Easwaran, Jaiswal, Gill, Kohli, Jadeja, Rahul, Pant, Nitish, Deep, Krishna, Bumrah. If the top order gets runs for a change, Jadeja can come down the order, at 6 or 7, and Pant can go in at 5. If they are too many early wickets, then Jadeja ahead of Rishabh and KL.

msp83 wrote:If Jurel gets runs tomorrow, his case will be strengthened. But they send KL early to find some, any, whatever reason to somehow select him. So not sure the 14 runs at an impressive average of 7 for the A game will hamper his chances in any way! Jurel causing a bit of a think. He's getting tough runs against a decent attack. But he's picked as wicketkeeper backup to Rishabh Pant. There are the likes of Easwaran, Sarfaraz and KL among whom the 6th batting position, and Rohit Standin has to be picked in the normal course of events. Lets see how Gambhir goes...
Hope Nitish Reddy gets some runs under his belt, I have a strong feeling he'll be making his test debut during the series, if not in the first test, then later on. With the batting unit struggling and not much to count from Deep, Bumrah and Siraj with the bat, they might need to play Reddy at 8 as they are unlikely to go in with 2 spinners and  Washington and Ashwin are not likely to be that first spinner. Jadeja's batting credentials are better than most in the squad, and the 10for in the last test may have restored some bowling confidence in him.
The one who is adding more thinking requirement for the management is Krishna. He didn't seem ready during a tough test debut. But he has the physical attributes, and a good FC record going for him. He has decent pace too. And now good recent form. Will they go for him ahead of Siraj or Akash? Considering he can hang about with the bat too a little bit, and considering Siraj has been in poor wickettaking form of late, that might be a call they may have to take.
Easwaran, Jaiswal, Gill, Kohli, Jadeja, Rahul, Pant, Nitish, Deep, Krishna, Bumrah. If the top order gets runs for a change, Jadeja can come down the order, at 6 or 7, and Pant can go in at 5. If they are too many early wickets, then Jadeja ahead of Rishabh and KL.

11 & order that I wish to see:

1- Eswaran
2- Yashasvi
3- Gill
4- KL
5- Jadeja
6-Pant
7- Jurel
8- Nitish
9-Rana
10- Krishan
11-Bumrah.

11 & order that we will get to see

1- Jaiswal
2- KL
3- Gill
4- Kohli
5-Pant
6- Jurel
7- Jadeja
8- Rana
9-Deep
10-Krishan
11- Bumrah

Jurel & Krishna have in any case played themselves into the 11

Sanju samson is in a Zone....had expressed desire to play test cricket & management said they will consider him if he play FC
And he has played 3 duleep and 1 Ranji game so far

Don't be surprised if he gets called in the middle of Aus tour if there is an injury or retirement

Interesting points from the last day of the "A" game...

Jurel surely inked himself into the Indian Test team with another 68 which gave India something to bowl at. And Prasidh another good effort with the ball ,cleaning up Bancroft and Harris for ducks - also useful tail end support with the bat.

And Australia seemingly trying to decide McSweeney or Harris : but McSweeney did little in either innings while Konstas has taken them to victory with 73 , after coming in with two down for one run in the first over ... might be almost back in contention ? Have to say that opening spot looks a bit wonky whoever they pick...

Aus-A won easily in the end after being in trouble.
Konstaz finally showed up after being talked about so much.
India-A was credible given no practice, seamjng and bouncy conditions and they lost both tosses.
Jurel and Krishna were very good and deserve to be in the 11 at Perth
Krishna's batting is a pleasant surprise.

So Australia going for Nathan McSweeney as their newest test opener. He and backup wicketkeeper Josh Inglis are the new addition to the test squad. So all fit and available, their 11 for the first test picks itself.
Khawaja, McSweeney, Labuschagne, Smith, Head, Marsh, Carrey, Starc, Cummins, Lyon, Hazlewood.

As for India, Dhruv Jurel ahead of KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan sounds like a sensible call. But I still don't see them dropping KL, might impose the liability up top, rather than giving the deserving Easwaran a chance at least...
Think Krishna has jumped ahead of Rana in the pecking order. Considering Akash Deep hasn't done anything to be dropped, I wouldn't mind if Rana isn't given a go straight away, though I really want to see him in action sooner rather than later, as he's quick and skilled, and can hold a bat too... Reddy made a handy but not compelling 38 in the last innings for India A. He didn't make a huge impact with the ball either and didn't have any other score of note. Still, he might be their best bet going into that first test, unless they rate Rana's batting to be good enough at 8. Then we will get 3 proper quicks in Bumrah, Krishna and Rana, and either of Siraj or Deep, are also quite brisk too. Unlike in other SENA countries, you need some speed to be successful in Australia more often than not...

Pakistan completed a memorable ODI series win in Australia, after dispatching a heavily weakened Australia with some ease in the finale. They bowled Australia out for 140, with some brilliant pace/swing bowling.

Interesting call on McSweeney. As far as I'm aware, he's never opened at FC level, until the most recent A game. So a bit of a gamble.

msp83 wrote:So Australia going for Nathan McSweeney as their newest test opener. He and backup wicketkeeper Josh Inglis are the new addition to the test squad. So all fit and available, their 11 for the first test picks itself.
Khawaja, McSweeney, Labuschagne, Smith, Head, Marsh, Carrey, Starc, Cummins, Lyon, Hazlewood.

Inglis has been batting very well & Carrey not.lately so the latter will be on a short leash,& if he shows no batting form  Inglis will be in ,in T2 I think
Beau Webster is close to a test call up in case Marsh struggles . Webster has had great FC season,  good outings vs Ind A and like late Andrew Symonds he can ball medium pace as well as spin and is more potent than symonds with the ball at FC level.

For India they might just move Gill to open to include KL and Jurel in the middle order.

Among bowlers Bumrah & Krishna are sure IMO as the later has show pace , form and ability to score runs too.
And Siraj is sure to sit out IMO.
That leaves 2 slots between Rana, Reddy  and Deep

Pak of all teams has taken 2 of BIG-3 down in tests(Eng) and Aus( world champions) in ODIs in their home.

Two points reiterated
Cricket a Glorious Game
Never take Pak for granted

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/c5yr4l8prp9o

Big if true, India seemingly refusing to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.

Probably not a shock, does feel a bit like the BCCI trying to force the ICC's hand on Pakistan's hosting rather than a legitimate threat to pull out of the tournament.

India were always going to refuse to go to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. They did it for the Asia Cup, they're doing it again.

The PCB need to dig in and fight. Refuse to accept a hybrid model. Either India go to Pakistan, or India get turfed out of the competition. That should be their view.

Unfortunately, the ICC will likely go along with whatever India want, and the English and Australian cricketing boards will do likewise. But Pakistan do have some negotiating room, in that Pakistan/India is the big money spinner fixture, and maybe Pakistan could threaten a withdrawal?

If it is a hybrid model, as is most likely, the competition will be a joke. If India reach a SF, for instance, then the location of the final may not be known until about 40 hours away from the final starting!

Be nice if the ICC showed they were an independent body and told India where to go but I think we all know what will happen

Not sure this is just within the BCCI's hands. Don't think the government of the day for cricketing engagements in Pakistan. The issue is political, and unless there is political clearance, the BCCI won't be able to do much. Of course considering J Shah, Dhumal and all, they can engage the government in a more compelling way if they want. Even then, it would be tough considering there hasn't been much political engagement between the 2 countries for the last 5-6 years...
And in any case, the BCCI would be confident they can twist the ICC's arms and get their way...

I read that the tournament isn't financially viable without the full broadcast rights, which obviously depend on India being there. So we already have the answer of what's going to happen

Duty281 wrote:India were always going to refuse to go to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. They did it for the Asia Cup, they're doing it again.

The PCB need to dig in and fight. Refuse to accept a hybrid model. Either India go to Pakistan, or India get turfed out of the competition. That should be their view.

Unfortunately, the ICC will likely go along with whatever India want, and the English and Australian cricketing boards will do likewise. But Pakistan do have some negotiating room, in that Pakistan/India is the big money spinner fixture, and maybe Pakistan could threaten a withdrawal?

If it is a hybrid model, as is most likely, the competition will be a joke. If India reach a SF, for instance, then the location of the final may not be known until about 40 hours away from the final starting!

True This was always gonna be the case.
Not that the Pakistanis didn't know, by crying & complaining but not taking a harsh action....they might be able to get negotiate some compensation , some bonus or equivalent financial incentive.
Practically Dubai is 2 hours flying time from Pak and easier to reach than Kolkata from Bangalore & there will be fuller stadium & more gate monies in UAE.
It will be a win-win-win for all