Gollum

I am an optimist.

Our comeback starts at Trent Bridge Batsmen will fire as a unit and with Bumrah back English batters are in for some nasty surprise. I don't see how we will fail to win the 3rd test, Kohli will never give up and this team has serious character. We will deliver an all round performance and rattled Poms will lose their confidence.

BCCI has become so spineless, now getting bullied by the likes of ACC and PCB

Played 6, won 1 and lost 2 LINK So a good record if you consider our overall record in Britain. In 2007 series our lone win came at Trent Bridge, Zaheer 9fer and jelly bean saga. In 2011 we lost after taking a decent 1st innings lead, Dravid scored an exceptional 100 before Broad picked up a lucky hat-trick. In 2014 it was a boring draw on an unresponsive pitch. Vijay scored 200 runs in that match, Binny played a match saving 70 on final day. Generally while our performances there look good, TB is Anderson's favorite hunting ground and Broad's home venue. This is the ground where Australia were rolled out for 60 3 years back .

Which country are you from? You seem like a new poster. Nair may have average technique but what has he shown to be called FTB with such a low sample size. He may very well be one (high chance IMHO) but why conclude before testing him out? Technique isn't the be all, end all. People with mediocre technique can compensate with hard work, patience, shot selection, courage, hand-eye, ruthlessness etc and be successful. What great technique did Steve Waugh have? There are 10x more international failures with outstanding technique than Lara with his less than perfect technique.

What exactly is wrong with Karun "300" Nair's record? He may or may not end up like the other 2 but after 6 tests (none abroad) what is wrong? Kindly be more specific.

@Ankit_sharma03 yeh log nahi sudhrenge. This air of feeling superior to the brown skinned people won't wash away overnight, especially not with the old timers. I have enormous respect for the achievements and contribution of these legends but sometimes their arrogance/racism fueled deliberate misinformation campaign ticks me off. Ashwin gets a WR 80+ wickets in a season.....that is because he played on bunsens, same season Kohli and Pujara amassed 1200 runs at >60 average....that is because they played on lifeless wickets. How do these so called experts reconcile with these 2 extreme view points? Either Ashwin is over rated or Kohli is an FTB, make up your minds FFS but can't downplay both their achievements at the same time. The moment you ask them about Lillee's record, there will be 1000 justifications and discussion will fly along a tangent. Sadly even many desi brown nosers fall into this trap, about time we rid ourselves of the mental slavery and take pride in our achievements. Let goras make fun of Pujara fine. But let us not forget that Pujara is twice the batsman Faf is and no more a specific conditions bully than him. At least Che is a master in SC, Faf is overshadowed by many batsmen when he plays in his favored territory whilst being even more pitiable than Che in unfamiliar conditions. But narrative is so much hijacked by few elements and even Asian experts feel the need to parrot the same points and set similar benchmarks whilst judging their compatriots. If you analyze objectively Mohammad Hafeez is almost as good a test batsman as Faf but say it out loud and you will be laughed at. Experts have grievances with technique of Asian batsmen in SENA but never talk about the technique of Warner, Kock, Faf, Hussey in the supposedly easy conditions to bat. I wonder why they fail so miserably if as in Boycott's words "These guys are used to batting on flat, dry, non-bouncing pitches in India and plundering easy runs. The new ball does not do much and the shine does not last long. Batsmen are king and can play lots of shots straight away." Give Ash-Jaddu the new ball and let us see how many easy runs these superior Kings make. I bet not many.

L@ude lag gaye

If Indian (SC as extension) pitches are so easy to bat on why does Du Plessis average less than 10 in India and UAE? He is hailed as a modern day great by foreign press/cricketers in spite of being the poorest player of spin bowling in the current era yet someone like Hafeez gets slated for not doing well in SENA. Michael Clarke the home bully is an all conditions bat but Sehwag, Samaraweera and Mahela are HTBs. Can't understand the duplicity of these people. Ashwin's stats are more well rounded than Lillee's but one is over rated HTB while the other is the greatest fast bowler of all time. Did Boycott keep tabs on the recent SA-Lanka series (which was mercifully only a 2 test affair)? It is perfectly justified to criticize India's gutless show in England but not cool to have a rant about Indian conditions. Most of these old timers have that air of superiority from Imperial Cricket Council's days which is fine but they deserve to be called out for their bias.

Boycott has got most things spot on but his whining about Indian pitches makes no sense. When our batsmen score at home that's because the pitches are flat and when bowlers do well it is because they are impossible to bat on. He isn't alone, most of the goras have a similar view point. Make up your minds you racist snobbish dick shits, which one is it...are our pitches flat or are they treacherous? Can't have it both ways to downplay Indian batters as well as bowlers. Look at the arrogance of these guys, if only Dhawan hadn't dropped the Edgbaston test !!!!

Arrogant & complacent visitors deserve getting kicked up their backsides, says Geoffrey Boycott Quotes: So far, the Indian players have let themselves and their supporters down. The batting has been so naive and irresponsible, it has bordered on stupidity. Wafting drives at tempting outswingers is thoughtless. Trying to work straight outswingers through midwicket and then being surprised when you get bowled or nick it to the slips is brainless.Playing the ball on the up in front of your pad is a no-no. These are elementary things you do not do against any decent swing bowler in English conditions. They have not sat down, talked or practised in the nets and got their heads around how they are going to bat differently in England. India have come to England complacently and arrogantly thinking they can bat the same way and everything will be OK on the day. Well, it will not. Any time you do not plan and work at your cricket, the game will kick you up the backside, and India deserve the thrashing they are getting. Great teams and great players should not buckle as easily as India did at Lord's just because the ball swings and seams. The whole point of playing cricket in different countries on different pitches and in different climatic conditions is to test your technique, character and ability to adapt. I accept they have been unlucky with overcast, cloudy conditions and rain around that have put them at a disadvantage. But come on, you can, and need, to do better. These guys are used to batting on flat, dry, non-bouncing pitches in India and plundering easy runs. The new ball does not do much and the shine does not last long. Batsmen are king and can play lots of shots straight away. India have to quickly show some mental strength and discipline otherwise the England test series will be an embarrassing 5-0 thrashing. Watching the number 1 side play so miserably makes test cricket look ridiculous. Do not expect it to get any easier at Trent Bridge, because that is where Anderson excels. His bowling figures are exceptional in Nottingham and Stuart Broad will be up for the challenge with his home crowd behind him. LINK

Did he later on get a nose job done?

Have they changed that disgraceful piece of scheduling? Last thing I want now is another defeat against Pakistan right after the Eng tests.

Absolutely no, Kohli MUST remain captain, MUST MUST MUST MUST and I can't emphasize this enough. Only thing he needs a proper environment (coaches, Bunty, Bollywood distractions etc are letting him down atm) and with accountability....he's too powerful right now. For all his flaws he leads by example like Kapil Dev. Seen him energize the team so often when shoulders droop, plus he is passionate like Dada. Also a sure started in every condition. Ashwin being a spinner won't play every match (esp in Aus, NZ) but can't imagine a situation where we enter the field without Kohli. I have many complaints w.r.t his tactics, team selection, lack of patience, domineering attitude with team mates..... but those things can be worked out. Kohli himself needs to understand his negative points and work on that, will happen if he is forced to work under a good coach. The richest cricket board must clip his wings and force him to play under the best coaches, not ass lickers. Better selectors with strong credentials and independent minds (like Vengsarkar, More) is the need of the hour. Can't afford to have a coolie like MSK Prasad making these important calls while working part time as Dhoni's personal masseuse. So BCCI needs to up its game as much as Kohli. I am not saying all this as slight to Ashwin. No doubt he is a great player and sharp observer but captaincy isn't everyone's cup of tea. Kohli has that aura to impose himself on opponent teams, Ashwin doesn't have that quality. Ashwin isn't very athletic, so won't inspire others on the field. But I have no doubt that he is someone who can work very well behind the scenes on the field, in the locker room, in the training/pre match sessions, in the team strategy meetings. He seems to be more approachable for youngsters because he isn't intimidating like Virushka. He will make a very good Hand of the King working in the shadows. Let King Kohli assume charge and let Ashwin be his VC. Rahane doesn't deserve to play all test matches (esp in Asia ), is a poor performer and under tremendous pressure to justify his billing. Do you think Kohli will even take his inputs seriously? Ashwin (and may be Jadeja) is the only other player who can command the attention of VK because he is the only guy who can measure up to Kohli's status as a test cricketer. I am not too keen on Jaddu because he has been part of many controversies in IPL and in all likelihood was one of the names in Mudgal report...too murky a character for my liking, and selfish to boot. Ashwin may annoy me with his antics and over analysis/bakbak/overconfidence/sloppiness but he is a team man with no conflict of interest or shady past. He has always been a selfless cricketer who doesn't mind soiling his reputation/stats for team's benefit. Even in Lord's he could have remained not out both innings but was shielding the tailenders unmindful of his own scoring opportunities in a lost cause. However post of captain/VC is moot point unless the coaching staff is changed and player power curbed. Next important thing to sort out is selection committee and only after that the captain. Captain is Batman (VC is Lucius Fox or Alfred whatever...), Head Coach is Harvey Dent and Chief Selector is Commissioner Gordon...all 3 need to be high performers and in perfect sync, even one weak link can spoil the broth. Right now all 3 are in sync but more like chewtiyapa resonance where 1 chewtiya amplifies the problems created by another. Small real life example: MSK selects (pensioner) Dhoni, Coach says (past his expiry date) Dhoni will play till 2023 and asks everyone to introspect on their lives before commenting on him, Kohli is a slave of (serial match loser) Dhoni and can't pee without taking his permission. Total sync but supporting a wrong cause. Replace this by Selector XXX selecting Pant, Coach YYY honing Pant's skills/mind and Kohli selecting/backing/mentoring Pant in live match...this is a good cause which will benefit Indian cricket.

LINK