India Tour of England, June-Sept 2014

[Vilander]

I'm not worried about our bowling at all. I already know it's going to suck. I expect nothing from our fast bowlers so what's there to worry about?

Shami produced edges that did not carry, Bhuv was also dropped at slips, he also went overpitch trying to swing and got driven. Ishant lost his rythm in the morning and then those guys slogged, he got a bit of it back towards the end. Pankaj was good, Aaron and Pandey sucked but they are green horns. They might still suck in second game though we have to wait and see.

[renjith]

Some dude bowls a few ball at 140 in IPL and you think that makes him a140plus bowler in tests!! The test for BK and this is when he will be buffet. Is second spell with older ball with oppo 101-1. Long hard day, what seppeds and movement will he get. Sadly he will be 78 mph and dhoni may stand up to him!!

bhuvi has not yet played a test match in seamer friendly pitches (eng, sa, aus, nz). so we still don't know how he will bowl from second spell onwards on those pitches. we are only assuming that he will be useless outside first 4 overs. i think we should judge him atleast after 1 test in those seamer friendly conditions. if we consider the fact that ishant sharma has played 55 tests, forget about bhuvi, we can even give chance to stuart binny. the last time he played a test match even in india was 8 months back. he has improved a lot during this period. so there is lots of reasons to have hope in him. he is certainly not a guaranteed success. but who is. I am certainly looking forward to bhuvi vs cook.

[CG]

Some dude bowls a few ball at 140 in IPL and you think that makes him a140plus bowler in tests!! The test for BK and this is when he will be buffet. Is second spell with older ball with oppo 101-1. Long hard day, what seppeds and movement will he get. Sadly he will be 78 mph and dhoni may stand up to him!!

We have to look at average speed and in tests its generally 5km/h lower than odis.Just do not bring t20s.

[rkt.india]

Shami produced edges that did not carry, Bhuv was also dropped at slips, he also went overpitch trying to swing and got driven. Ishant lost his rythm in the morning and then those guys slogged, he got a bit of it back towards the end. Pankaj was good, Aaron and Pandey sucked but they are green horns. They might still suck in second game though we have to wait and see.

Pankaj, Shami and Aaron were 3 best bowlers according to Cricinfo.

[BlueBee]

Some dude bowls a few ball at 140 in IPL and you think that makes him a140plus bowler in tests!! The test for BK and this is when he will be buffet. Is second spell with older ball with oppo 101-1. Long hard day, what seppeds and movement will he get. Sadly he will be 78 mph and dhoni may stand up to him!!

Dude! Let him get his chances properly. Who knows he comes up being another McGrath

[tweaker]

As Dravid was appointed batting consultant,someone like Prasad or Srinath should have been selected as bowling coach

[ThePhenomenal1]

As Dravid was appointed batting consultant' date='someone like Prasad or Srinath should have been selected as bowling coach[/quote'] The crap bcci have no bowling vision :((

[shortbread]

WTF has BK bowling 4 overs with new ball in IPL, were batters attack you and hence give more chances, got to do with test cricket?? Total confusion and lack of understanding of different formats

Lets not forget theres a higher chance of being tonked all over as well, which was the case with most Indian pace-men. IPL is no yardstick to judge a test player I know that as well as the fact BK isn't the quickest. But what stood out about BK in the IPl was when there was immense pressure he kept his cool and did his job. No panicking, no full tosses, no straying down leg etc....etc.... What I am trying to say is when given a plan he executes them better than rest of the Indian bowling line up. He doesn't seem to crack under pressure and is very judicious about his use of variations. But the same BK struggled in a practice game against a club team. I don't think its because he wasn't able to bowl the required line and length, but was more of the case of what line and length to bowl!! In the absence of a true bowling leader (not Ishant Sharma) we need someone who knows how to use the strengths of these crop of bowlers. Zak was vital in this department, but he is not fit/in form enough to play!! But what about an advisor role, if not Zak then anyone else!! A major reason why Sri Lanka's pace attack succeeded in England is their bowling coach, Chaminda Vaas. The SL warhorse assessment after each game was sharp and confident. He knew what needed to be done and had faith in his boys to deliver. This allows the coach, captain, management to focus on other things than have to worry about the bowling!! I don't think India have this.

[gattaca]

India face monumental task at fortress Trent Bridge A good article on Trent Bridge.

India are going to play a five-Test series in England after 54 years. They will embark on this series knowing fully well how they were whitewashed in their previous visit in 2011. There have been huge personnel changes from both teams ever since that series and that is the reason why there is an unpredictability factor around both teams this time. The series kickstarts on July 9 at Trent Bridge, a venue where England have remained undefeated since 2008. Their last defeat was against India when a Zaheer Khan masterclass consigned England to a seven-wicket defeat. In this table, we take a look at how India have performed at Trent Bridge with respect to other countries: W/L ratio for teams in Trent Bridge TEAM MATCHES WINS LOSSES DRAWS W/L RATIO WEST INDIES 9 4 1 5 4 AUSTRALIA 22 7 5 0 1.4 INDIA 5 1 2 2 0.5 SOUTH AFRICA 9 2 4 3 0.5 NEW ZEALAND 9 1 6 2 0.16 PAKISTAN 4 0 3 1 0 *England have been excluded since they are the hosts. Sri Lanka have played only one Test and have won so there is no W/L ratio for them. If one looks at the table, India's record at Trent Bridge is nothing to speak of. Their win/loss ratio makes them the third-best indeed but they are level with New Zealand when it comes to victories. Before their victory in 2007, India had played out two high-scoring draws at this venue in 2002 and 1996. They were, however, decimated in the 2011 match thanks to a hat-trick by Stuart Broad and Ian Bell's controversial 159. It was at this venue where Bell was run out just before tea but Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni chose to call him back. England have been undefeated in Trent Bridge in the last five Tests. It is often said that England's pace battery find conditions to their liking at Nottingham. Here is a look at the number of wickets taken by pacers in comparison to spinners. The periods are broken down into two eras. The first one is from 2000 to 2007 while the second one is from 2008 to 2014. BOWLING TYPE WICKETS TAKEN AVERAGE FIVE WICKET HAUL TEN WICKET HAUL PACE 61 25.64 1 0 SPIN 27 12.34 2 1 *This is the period from 2000 to 2007 BOWLING TYPE WICKETS TAKEN AVERAGE FIVE WICKET HAUL TEN WICKET HAUL PACE 92 19.46 8 2 SPIN 15 67.4 0 0 *This is the period from 2008 to 2014 If one has to gauge the nature of the Trent Bridge wicket, these two tables bring out that comparison well. In the first period, the pace bowlers have taken more wickets but their hauls and averages have taken a hit. The spinners, on the other hand, have had far more impact in Trent Bridge at the start of the century. Their hauls and averages are far superior than the pacers. An example in this point was Muttiah Muralitharan's haul of 11/132 that destroyed England. However, all this changes dramatically in the second epoch. The pace bowlers have dominated in Trent Bridge but the X-factor for England and for oppositions at this venue has been James Anderson. He has taken a staggering 49 wickets in seven Tests at this venue at an average of just under 18. He has six five-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket hauls at this venue. The Anderson factor is one of the key points in the England team. If Anderson gets going at Trent Bridge, then he is unstoppable. In the last five Tests, he has taken 42 wickets, including hauls of 7/43 against New Zealand in 2008 and 6/17 against Pakistan. It was his 10-wicket haul last year in the Ashes opener that gave England a thrilling 14-run win. India will have to counter the Anderson factor in Trent Bridge if they have to dictate terms to England. Batting trends in Trent Bridge The way a pitch behaves in a Test is determined by the average score that a team makes in each innings. In this table, we take a look at the average scores of a team in each innings from 2008. Average score of teams in innings since 2008 at Trent Bridge: INNINGS SCORE 1ST INNINGS 287 2ND INNINGS 297 3RD INNINGS 322 4TH INNINGS 143 The first innings of a match at Trent Bridge has always been the key. When one looks at the average score in the first innings, it is safe to say that the Trent Bridge pitch offers assistance to the bowlers on the first and second days. When one looks at the second and third innings, one can say that the pitch is best to bat on days three and four while chasing a target in the fourth innings is very hard as the pitch has deteriorated. If one looks at the high scores in the last six years, there have been only two scores over 400 in Tests at Trent Bridge. England scored 544 against India in 2011 while they went 428 in 2012 against West Indies. Performance of the batsmen at Trent Bridge: AVERAGE OF BATSMEN IN TRENT BRIDGE 2008 - 2013 59.25 AVERAGE OF BATSMEN IN TRENT BRIDGE 2000 - 2007 45.89 If one looks at the batting average over both periods, it is surprising that when the pacers have dominated proceedings in Trent Bridge, the batsmen have the best average. In the last six years, there have been some individuals who have stood out with some good knocks. In the last five Tests since 2008, there have been nine Test centuries by batsmen at this venue while the five Tests before 2008 have witnessed seven Test tons by batsmen. The difference is not much when it comes to centuries but the trend established here is that batsmen have contributed much more in the second period than in the first. The first Test match promises to be riveting in many ways. England have currently not won a Test since August 2013 while India have not won a Test overseas for the last three years. England will look to protect their fortress at Trent Bridge while India will be aiming to strike a body blow and surge ahead in the series.

http://www.gocricket.com/news/India-in-England-2014--India-face-monumental-task-in-Englands-fortress/articleshow/37523313.cms

[ThePhenomenal1]

just be positive, bat well, and get pandey and pankaj for some good swing. got a feeling those two will work well together.

[fineleg]

msd doesnt care abt away tests.

[Gollum]

Good that we start at TB. We always sucked at opening tests in Lords.

[velu]

msd doesnt care abt away tests.

corrected

[express bowling]

Why o why is everyone projecting BK as being in test team and then not just in team but good test bowler for us. Really don't get it DO NOT CONFUSE ODIS WITH TESTS!

I don't get it too. BK, till now, has been poor in the 6 tests he has played. 9 wickets. Even in ODIs, BK has been very good economy wise. But has not been a wicket taker. BK has to prove that he is a decent test pacer, let alone a good one.

[express bowling]

Dude! Let him get his chances properly. Who knows he comes up being another McGrath

McGrath was a 6'5" pacer who got steep bounce from short of good length. Hit batsmen on the body with reasonable frequency when he was in his 20s. He was primarily a fast-medium seam bowler. Bhuvi is a 5'9" pacer who skids the ball and does not get much bounce. He is primarily a medium-fast swing bowler. What, exactly, is the similarity ?

[Vilander]

Pankaj' date=' Shami and Aaron were 3 best bowlers according to Cricinfo.[/quote'] Aaron did he do well i so wish he did, but the English press reported that he and Pandey were brought in late and did not do much.

[ThePhenomenal1]

Lets not forget theres a higher chance of being tonked all over as well, which was the case with most Indian pace-men. IPL is no yardstick to judge a test player I know that as well as the fact BK isn't the quickest. But what stood out about BK in the IPl was when there was immense pressure he kept his cool and did his job. No panicking, no full tosses, no straying down leg etc....etc.... What I am trying to say is when given a plan he executes them better than rest of the Indian bowling line up. He doesn't seem to crack under pressure and is very judicious about his use of variations. But the same BK struggled in a practice game against a club team. I don't think its because he wasn't able to bowl the required line and length, but was more of the case of what line and length to bowl!! In the absence of a true bowling leader (not Ishant Sharma) we need someone who knows how to use the strengths of these crop of bowlers. Zak was vital in this department, but he is not fit/in form enough to play!! But what about an advisor role, if not Zak then anyone else!! A major reason why Sri Lanka's pace attack succeeded in England is their bowling coach, Chaminda Vaas. The SL warhorse assessment after each game was sharp and confident. He knew what needed to be done and had faith in his boys to deliver. This allows the coach, captain, management to focus on other things than have to worry about the bowling!! I don't think India have this.

dead on the nail my friend, completely agree. tell bhuvi to attack and get edges and he will do that. people forget so easily about champions trophy, but.. he needs to do well with old ball too. I am confident in him. And yh, india itself has no bowling vision but a great like vaas has. all we need is someone like srinath to coach and mentor our youngsters. change the culture.

[Fontaine]

I really hope we don't include BK in the first test.

[FischerTal]

I really hope we don't include BK in the first test.

and pankaj does

[Fontaine]

and pankaj does

Pankaj will play. But it won't matter, our bowlers are going to suck and suck hard.