Why green tops don't work in the subcontinent?

[graphic23]

Dhoni's shot has been criticized throughout. Why he played a shot like that in those circumstances is baffling me. He is usually very responsible when the team is in trouble. He seems to have some sort of a preconceived notion that he cannot play well in Tests. It is pathetic. This is probably being said in the frustration I'm feeling right now but increasingly it seems that we need to have 2 different wicket-keepers along 2 different captains. Anyways, look to get them all out under 275-300 and we'll have a chance. Good Luck India.

[The Outsider]

275-300 is high hopes now on this track. South Africa will cruise to 400 here and shut us out of the match completely, as if there remains shutting out after folding up for 75 runs! Even if they show a bit of bottle in the second innings a 250-350 run lead is going to be impossible to come back from. Yeah I did watch Calcutta 2001, but it's special because those things don't happen everyday.

[Dhondy]

I also believe that RP , I Sharma are not trying 100% as they wanna save themselves from any injuries so they are fit to play in the stupid IPL . Poor leadership in this series so far ..

That's correct Desi. Not just Ishant, I believe Zaheer Khan is also resting and recuperating for IPL, as the contract clearly stipulates that if you are out injured, you don't get paid. One giant step forward in killing Test cricket in India, just as many of us had predicted. About leadership, consider this. Your best batsman is out, so what do you do? You go and pick a bowler, of course. India, nor Kumble will ever live this down. They have been exposed as a bunch of bank clerks trying to mix with the big boys of world cricket.

[Desi Cartman]

another thing that I dont understand Before the series the Indian physio said that SRT , UV, Dhoni and Bhajji are not fit to play but they said no we are fine. Then we saw that UV couldnt field in the 1st test while SRT was feeling his groin throughout and now he is injured. Dhoni doesnt look fit either . If these players had injuries why were they in the squad and im 100% sure that there is some senir - junior tension and thats why they dont seem like playing as a team

[The Outsider]

About leadership, consider this. Your best batsman is out, so what do you do? You go and pick a bowler, of course.

When the selectors offer you choices like Yuvraj as a replacement batsman, then picking Pathan is the wise move. He could have gone for Kaif but that decision would have taken balls(given Yuvraj was in teh squad ahead of him) and despite the initial promise not sure Kumble is capable of making the tough calls.

[Desi Cartman]

That's correct Desi. Not just Ishant, I believe Zaheer Khan is also resting and recuperating for IPL, as the contract clearly stipulates that if you are out injured, you don't get paid. One giant step forward in killing Test cricket in India, just as many of us had predicted. About leadership, consider this. Your best batsman is out, so what do you do? You go and pick a bowler, of course. India, nor Kumble will ever live this down. They have been exposed as a bunch of bank clerks trying to mix with the big boys of world cricket.

and that too with a bowler who bowls at the speed of 125 .. WTF if the Indian management was honest they wouldnt have played Injured Kumble , slow IKP , Jaffer (a repeat failure in tough conditions ), out of form RP singh ... and Budha SG ...

[Desi Cartman]

When the selectors offer you choices like Yuvraj as a replacement batsman' date=' then picking Pathan is the wise move. He could have gone for Kaif but that decision would have taken balls(given Yuvraj was in teh squad ahead of him) and despite the initial promise not sure Kumble is capable of making the tough calls.[/quote'] Yes Kumble seems to be struggling in this series .. I think right now all seniors are worried about their place in the side while youngsters seem to upset that seniors aren't making a way for them and this divide is hurting Kumble.. Kumble needs seniors to give their 100% . The reason he did well in Aus was bcuz the whole team was behind him and seniors were always around him ... in this series its more like every man for himself

[Sooda]

I do think Sriram is right- cant blame the batsmen too much why the FRAKK did we bat first? WHY o WHY did we produce a pitch like this?? weve done it vs Eng and Aus in the past and got done over. Why does a sporting wicket have to mean a greentop anyway? all it has to do is give the bowlers assistance- what if those bowlers were spinners? Why not produce minefields like we did in Bombay (?) vs the AUssies and let Bhajji and Kumble rip thru them all...

[cochise]

Because Indians always choose the path of most resistance.

[umpire]

>What's more the grass binding the pitch will probably mean it's not going to break either. don't agree with you. top was already coming off on first day, watch Amla's dismissal you will see top come off. Chasing 250 in 4th innings will be one heck of task.

[Guest Hiten.]

To start off with why are we complaining about the green top ? Didn't our bowlers roll over the hosts (ENG, Aus, SA) on green top ? Kumble won the toss had a decision to make. There is nothing wrong in the pitch. Our batsmen had decided to follow each other back to pavilion. Batting Jaffer has again proved he is FTB. Given the swinging conditions for the ball to move, he has failed miserably. Sehwag, Ganguly, Kumble were victims of inside edges. Only VVS laxman can know WTF was he doing by shouldering arm the ball that was bound to nip back, given the bowler friendly conditions. RD got a unplayable. MSD had brain farts before he got out to a wild shot. MSD plays a very mature role in ODI team, then why can't he do the same in Tests ? Doubts should be raised over this lads place in test team. Bowling RP, Sree were totally useless as the conditions should have suited them more than the spinners. IKP was again a very bad choice. He should not have been in the team. This man has lost his ability to swing, now-a-days he only (tries to) bowl Stump-to-Stump. Bowling with line and length under the given circumstances was never gonna help India fightback. We needed aggressive bowlers who would hit the deck hard and extract something out of the strip. Props to bhajji for his efforts and his performance :top: Kumble looked like a jackass with long face. Why couldn't he inspire the team to fightback instead of carrying the long face? This is not the same kumble i have been following in past years. I always considered him as a fighter and not the man who will carry long face when the team is looking down the barrel.

[Desi Cartman]

SG got himself out too ... He wasnt sure about what he was doing

[Dhondy]

When the selectors offer you choices like Yuvraj as a replacement batsman' date=' then picking Pathan is the wise move. He could have gone for Kaif but that decision would have taken balls(given Yuvraj was in teh squad ahead of him) and despite the initial promise not sure Kumble is capable of making the tough calls.[/quote'] Wasn't so long back that he rescued India from 61 for 4. I wouldn't count his ineptitude on overseas tracks against him, when selecting sides on the subcontinent. Kumble is showing signs of stress. There's no way he would have gone in with 5 batsmen if he were thinking rationally.

[yoda]

Because Indians always choose the path of most resistance.

:D

[kumble_rocks]

Can't understand posters here questioning the rationale behind Kumble's decision to go with 5 batsmen. The in-lieu player he chose happens to be an all-rounder who top scored with an unbeaten 21 in the first innings.

[fineleg]

Shameful, disgusting, loathsome and craven. Toss, pitch... whatever, this was just inexcusable. To think some idiots paid million dollar ransoms for these jokers! Achhh...thooooooo!!

Eggjacktly!!! This performance (76 all out in just 20 OVERS!~!~) is INEXCUSABLE however you look at it. Rubbish batting by India, and day by day the million dollar ransoms only keep going up.

[coffee_rules]

I think Kumble opted to bat because of the Mumbai 2006 fiasco against Eng. We batted last using 6 batsmen and wilted against 2nd team spinners. How is that Eng spin bowler we made a demon out out of.. Whatever 5 bowlers is a manhoos idea, never go for it. This test should be forgotten, India better practice for the next test using the 2nd innings as net practice.

[Desi Cartman]

Article

Fifteen months ago in Cape Town, Wasim Jaffer came to the press conference after day one of the Test and pleasantly described the pitch, on which he scored 116, as distinctly Indian. "When we saw the track yesterday, we were surprised how a pitch in South Africa could look like this," were his exact words. Cut to the present, a day on which India were dismissed for 76, and Harbhajan Singh raised eyebrows at the nature of the Motera pitch while bemoaning the trend of draws in India. Dale Steyn, who took 5 for 23 to assist the rot, was also surprised but felt the greenish track played right into South Africa's hands. "The last time we played here [in Ahmedabad] against Sri Lanka there was red soil. But now I don't see red soil anywhere, not in Chennai and even here the clay is not red," Harbhajan said. "It has been changed. Obviously, there is grass too. Every team plays to their strength [at home] and we should also do the same." Despite reports that Anil Kumble and head curator Dhiraj Parsana were at odds against what type of surface should be prepared Harbhajan denied the pitch took the focus away for India. "Whatever wicket you get, you have to play on it," he said. "Obviously if the [home] captain was unhappy with the pitch and the curator didn't do anything about it then you just can't help it. The Indian team's strength is spin. No doubt we have good young fast bowlers but till today all the matches we have won in India are because of our strength. "What we are seeing nowadays is that pitches are being changed constantly and the clay is being changed. Previously we used to get positive results for India, but now we see a lot of draws being played out and results going against the Indian team." Steyn put the question back to India, questioning Kumble's decision to bat despite knowing what the track looked like. "I was surprised. I haven't played too much in the subcontinent, especially in India, and I've never seen a pitch like this, with so much grass," he said. "From what I read in the papers there was a bit of an argument between the curator and the Indian captain. They probably didn't get what they wanted. If they didn't get what they wanted then you have to ask the question, 'why did they bat first?' If you always thought it was going to be green then maybe you made the wrong decision." Mickey Arthur, South Africa's coach, told Cricinfo that his side was extremely pleased with the track. "There were no hidden demons on the surface, but honestly, I am a bit surprised. It's a really good wicket for us and suits our bowling attack," he said. "Obviously, I would have expected India to play to its strength, which is spin bowling. It's from that point of view that I am surprised. The pitch was a little two-paced at times, but it was ultimately a good wicket." In January 2007 South Africa swallowed their pride, regrouped, and went on to famously win the Cape Town Test by five wickets. How Indian choose to act here forth remains to be seen.

[fineleg]

I think Kumble opted to bat because of the Mumbai 2006 fiasco against Eng. We batted last using 6 batsmen and wilted against 2nd team spinners. How is that Eng spin bowler we made a demon out out of.. Whatever 5 bowlers is a manhoos idea, never go for it. This test should be forgotten, India better practice for the next test using the 2nd innings as net practice.

yes

[The Outsider]

Wasn't so long back that he rescued India from 61 for 4. I wouldn't count his ineptitude on overseas tracks against him, when selecting sides on the subcontinent. Kumble is showing signs of stress. There's no way he would have gone in with 5 batsmen if he were thinking rationally.

Yeah in the same match Pathan also scored a hundred and no matter how badly Pathan bowls he is always going to be a better bowler than Yuvraj