Discussing the 2nd test between India and SA at Kolkata, 2010

[Steyn]

Steyn is bit weak against left handers. I was expecting Raina in place of Yuvraj. But they added Saha:). Indians are so determine to help me...now I hope they will prepare a greentop in Kolkata:)

[Zelig]

Indians are so determine to help me...now I hope they will prepare a greentop in Kolkata:)

Jeez..your lurking here? You don't have a net session in the morning:hmmm:

[Steyn]

I am forced to...no one of SA team wants to face me in the net...perhaps they dont want to be injured before the match:)

[Zelig]

I am forced to...no one of SA team wants to face me in the net...perhaps they dont want to be injured before the match:)

You better stay out of injury. The last i heard that you have never gone through a season without an injury :).

[Lord]

cant we change his x-ray report like they show in serials?

[Guest DeveGowda]

cant we change his x-ray report like they show in serials?

:haha: new reports yesterday showd Doctors advised 10 day rests...But it seems Smith have no belief on indian doctors during an important TEST seriess :hysterical: May be they have Different knid of serial back in SA.

[thevortex]

I somehow am of the opinion that players such as Mithun and Tyagi may not have impressed the captain and the coach in the nets. That can be the only explanation for their being left out of the squad without playing.

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Smith shows the way, ready to play with pain As a leader, you are expected to lead from the front and set a benchmark and that is what exactly South Africa captain Graeme Smith intends to do. More... Smith shows the way, ready to play with pain February 13, 2010 18:01 IST As a leader, you are expected to lead from the front and set a benchmark and that is what exactly South Africa captain Graeme Smith intends to do. The left-hander fractured the little finger on his left hand during fielding practice at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on Friday, but he is not ready to give up yet. All indications are that he might play the crucial second and final Test against India, starting on Sunday, with the visitors needing just a draw to clinch the series and reclaim the number one ranking in Test cricket. "There is a fracture in one joint of the small finger on the left hand side. It really is about dealing with pain from that perspective. I am pretty confident that I can deal with the pain and stuff and get through but until you have done it, it's hard to say," Smith said in Kolkata on Saturday. Smith has been plagued by finger injuries in the recent past and he reckons he knows how to overcome the problem. But at the same time he admitted his only problem is to gauge how much the injury would handicap his batting in the Test match. "I have certainly in the last two years had a few pain issues to deal with and I have got through them reasonably well. There is a good medical staff here that you can trust and you just get stuck in. "I think the big question is whether you will be able to contribute and give your best for the team and that is the question you need to ask yourself, especially as the leader. "The objective is to contribute and to be as professional as you ask a lot of the players and you need to be able to compete to that level. Those are the things that I guess personally you need to answer going into the Test match and make hopefully the right decisions," he said. For South Africa, it is a case of learning from their previous mistakes in 2008 and not letting the opportunity of a series victory slip by this time. The very thought of a Test series victory in India had added that extra motivation into his team's preparations for the Kolkata match, he admitted. "As I said before, not many teams get the opportunity to win series in India. On our last two tours, we have had that opportunity now. Going into the Eden Gardens Test match, we are 1-0 up in the series. For most cricketers, it is a lifetime opportunity to win a series in India and that is something that like I said we want to tick off as a team and something that we are motivated to achieve and something we are excited about," Smith said. He pointed out that the secret of Dale Steyn's success as a fast bowler lay in the fact that he is quick to adapt to different conditions very quickly. "Dale has been consistently really exciting, really good over the last couple of years. You can't argue with performances he has put in around the world. He has been able to adapt to all the conditions that he has played in and the attack around him has adapted to the roles around him which has allowed him to play his role. "I just think he has matured a lot, the way he has grown into this whole himself as a cricketer, the way he thinks about the game and obviously the skills he has got is a great asset to have." Smith is also unsure on whether Gautam Gambhir deserves to be the top ranked Test batsman in the world and said he should prove his batting prowess outside the sub-continent too. "In terms of Gautam, he's a batter that has played a lot in the sub-continent. He has done well here; he is a good player of spin. His Test is going to be how he travels with world. That's going to be his test," he said. Once again the visitors were quick to ward off any doubts about the pitch on offer, saying it is distracting the Indians more. "Obviously, there has been a lot of talk around the wicket. I haven't seen it today but it looked pretty good yesterday. I am sure it will be a pretty good wicket, it always is here. Good Test wickets. Let us hope that there are little things like that that will distract the Indians a little bit, it will definitely help us," said Smith. South Africa's last series victory in India was way back in 1999-2000 under Hansie Cronje. The visitors are no doubt keen to end the long wait for another series and also return to the top of the ICC Test rankings. For India, it is once again not only about silencing their disgruntled critics but also holding on to the top ranking for a little bit longer.

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Test cricket is always the top priority for any cricketer: Raina After a successful stint in the one-day internationals, Suresh Raina hopes to make his Test selection count. More... Test cricket is always the top priority for any cricketer: Raina February 13, 2010 17:36 IST Test cricket is the ultimate pinnacle for any cricketer and therefore Suresh Raina's delight is not surprising at having being named in the Indian squad. Though he may not get a chance to feature in the playing eleven, the mere thought that the selectors consider you next in line is something Raina feels special about. He was earlier named in the Test squad against England in March 2006 but never got a chance to show his potential and later on was even dropped from the ODI squad. However, he made a smashing comeback to the Indian ODI team during the Asia Cup in 2008 after which he has consistently dished out with the bat. With Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh missing out due to injuries, the selectors were forced to include the talented 23-year-old left-hander for the Kolkata Test. In an exclusive conversation with Chief Correspondent Harish Kotian, UP batsman Suresh Raina on the importance of Test cricket for him and why just being in the squad is a learning experience for him. How delighted are you to make it to the Test side? It is a dream come true to be selected in the Test squad. After playing in so many One-Day Internationals I was keen on playing Test cricket as well and I was looking forward to it. It also gives me a chance to work with top players like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni. The main test for any player's ability is to succeed in Test cricket and that is why I am hoping to get a chance do well. Were you expecting this call up since you have been quite consistent in the ODIs for India in the recent past? I knew I had to keep performing consistently in ODIs if I ever wanted to make it to the Test side. I have been batting quite well in the last few series that we have played including against Australia and Sri Lanka. So I am very confident that if I am selected in the team for the Kolkata Test I will do a good job with the bat. In the age of Twenty20 cricket where IPL is a big temptation for the youngsters, how high do you rank Test cricket in your list of priorities? Test cricket is always the top priority for any cricketer. If you look at all the greats playing today like Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag and even Sourav Ganguly for that matter they have all made a name because of their top performances in Test cricket. ODIs are also important but it is Test cricket where the fans really appreciate your good performances and remember it for a long time. So if you perform in Test cricket it gives you more satisfaction than any other formats. It tests your abilities more than the other formats and that is why when you succeed at the Test level you know that you have done a good job as a cricketer. What is important for a batsman when it comes to playing against a top bowling attack like South Africa in a Test match? It is not that we have done well against them before, we have been successful against them in the past. This is just one bad game that we had and I am sure we will come back strong in Kolkata. If you look at our performance in the last couple of years we have done well against all teams in all conditions, so you can't judge us on just one bad game. We had a few positives from this match in terms of our batting with Tendulkar and Sehwag scoring hundreds and if the rest of the batsmen come good too then surely South African bowlers will suffer. It all depends on how your batting form is at the moment and how clear your thinking is when you are out in the middle. We know that fast bowling is their strength but batting has been our strength as everyone knows so it should be a good contest in Kolkata. Short pitched bowling has been a problem area for you when you started and a few years after that. Does it still affect you and how have you addressed that particular problem? I have played over 90 ODIs and scored over 2000 runs so you can't just say that I have had a problem. I have worked my way through the problem by practicing hard, talking to senior players like Rahul Dravid. Every batsman struggles against good short pitching bowling or has some other weakness in their game which they gradually tackle by working in the nets so it is not only me. But I have worked hard and am prepared for any challenge that comes my way. Would you still continue to bat in your own attacking style in Test cricket or restrict yourself and look to bat for a long time? It will all depend on the circumstances and the position I am batting in. I will bat according to the situation. I have played more than 50 matches in Ranji Trophy and I have learnt a lot on how to bat in the longer format so I should be able to adjust according to the situation. Do you believe despite the injuries to Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh, India can stage a strong comeback by winning the second Test and level the series at 1-1 like they did in 2008? I am sure we will definitely win the second Test match. In the past also, when we have been we have comeback strongly. We just need to be patient and show the right attitude and the results will come. We don't need to panic because we are the number team in the world and we have the potential to beat any side on our day.

[achilles]

Sorry Andy, i cant see dat hapening. May be am wrong, but am yet to see a 140km/hr+ bowler in domestic circuit. Though Tyagi is a medium pacer, i believe he sudnt have been dropped, for sum1 like shreesanth who didnt look impressive at all in bangladesh.

Yes Andy. Its difficult. But Sree has shown in the past that height and physique (and the lack of non-veg :haha:) doesn't mean a bowler can't bowl 140ks consistently. I've seen Sree doing it over and over again. He can do it again and I think we can find another bowler who can :--D

[maggot_brain]

Still think we can draw the series? Well do you with this bowling attack?

[Deleted_User_1]

Phaack no. India if officially no. 2 now.

[suraj]

No way- we will lose the series for sure

[Laaloo]

Yes. We will win this match. :isalute:

[Jersey #10]

too early to say

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We must get back to playing attacking cricket : Anil Kumble If India have to win, their two main bowlers, Zaheer and Harbhajan, have to attack, take wickets and make the difference. More... We must get back to playing attacking cricket Anil Kumble, Hindustan Times February 13, 2010 If India have to win, their two main bowlers, Zaheer and Harbhajan, have to attack, take wickets and make the difference. Having said that, there’s really no point in criticising the players for the Nagpur loss. These things happen. It’s been a tough start, they were outplayed —there’s no question of that, but you just have to regroup and come back harder. This team can do that. Again, the toss is going to be crucial. Kolkata wickets generally play slower. Reports indicate there’s some grass and that means there’s going to be a bit of seam movement but, essentially, a clay surface gets slower as the game goes on. The outfield is brilliant and batsmen will get good value for their shots. So where do India go from here? For me, Kallis is the key. In addition, India have to build on whatever start they get, in Nagpur, the advantage went after the early breakthroughs when Amla and Kallis settled in. The mental aspect is also essential. The spinners have to believe they can take wickets. You have got to be aggressive, got to have attacking fields. If, the situation requires defensive fields, the spinners still have to be on the attack in their minds, look to get wickets, support each other. They also have to try and bowl in tandem, where one can go on the attack and the other can be restrictive, that’s why supporting each other is critical. South Africa tend to play a waiting game against spin, so you need to encourage them to attack, get them to play at you and make mistakes. India have to make use of their strengths, look at how SA use theirs. Their four main bowlers are quality but always bowl as a unit, with one playing the restrictive role, like Harris did in Nagpur. When Gambhir fell early and with Yuvraj not there, India had no left-handers in the middle so he could afford to bowl the line he did. It worked very well. Steyn, at the other end, is an out and out attacking bowler — his job is to take wickets, but then, they also have someone like Kallis as the fifth bowler, someone who can still bowl 135-140 kmph and trouble the batsmen. And that’s what India have to do to, across the board. Laxman’s return will balance the inexperience in the batting, but they have to plan for an upbeat South Africa throwing everything they can at them. In Nagpur, they went into a shell but to have had success in the last 18 months, India have played attacking cricket and have kept the opposition under pressure. That’s what took them to the top and only that will keep them there.

[achilles]

We can.

[EnterTheVoid]

Yes, India to win this match.

[achilles]

Yes Anil, you are right :adore: Finally some sense. :two_thumbs_up:

[riya]

No.Because we are too defensive and poor team selection.Dhoni didn't learn from his mistakes.