Keep it simple in test matches

[express bowling]

Pacers 

 

Just target the top of off stump with 4 or 5 deliveries every over. Bowl at full pace and hit the deck hard. 

 

Bowl 2 or 1 bouncers directed at the back shoulder of the batsman at full pace.

 

Go for a bouncer barrage during certain phases of the game,  when the ball is not moving. Preferably bowl round the wicket to right handers and over the wicket to left handers. Keep a short leg, leg slip, deep square leg and deep fine leg.

 

 

Batsmen

 

Go to the line of the ball and either play the ball under your eyes or leave them if they are missing the stumps. 

 

Don't defend or try to defend any delivery outside the off stump. This is the key. 

 

Don't defend any delivery which is clearly bouncing above the stumps ... unless it is hitting the body. 

 

Defend with soft hands.

 

Put away all the loose deliveries.

 

 

 

These are very basic things ... every cricketer knows them ... but are very often not followed by top players even.

Edited December 16, 2020 by express bowling

[Majestic]

It's hard to follow it consistently. This is why concentration is so key to the game. And that's why test cricket is considered the toughest format. Concentration and patience matters a lot.

[Lone Wolf]

In my view leaving balls against Starc too much by trusting the bounce can be deadly coz he attacks the stumps & pitches it fuller than both Cummins & Hazelwood.  So Try to attack him as much as you can & put him off.  Cummins will soon resort to Bouncer barrage so Likes of Gill & Mayank Pujara need to come up with something. 

Pink ball will only move up to 10 overs then there should be an all out attack.  Hopefully Mayank stays on to take on Lyon

[express bowling]

15 minutes ago, Lone Wolf said:

In my view leaving balls against Starc too much by trusting the bounce can be deadly coz he attacks the stumps & pitches it fuller than both Cummins & Hazelwood.  

 

Not talking about fuller deliveries here.

 

We see lots of dismissals of batsmen pushing at chest high or stomach high balls just outside or around the off stump.

 

Hitting loose deliveries is a different thing and should be done.

 

But don't defend deliveries that are clearly not hitting the stumps. Leaving the leavable balls is the key to batting in test matches.

[Gollum]

Most importantly hold on to all regulation catches. Doing Jackie Chan maneuvers to convert 3s into 2s, 2s into 1s, stopping quick singles matter fukc all in test cricket. Holding on to catches is critical, our catching last time in Aus was top-notch, maintain that standard. 

 

Stop playing 4D chess when their tail starts wagging, treat them like middle order batsmen you just dismissed.

 

If Ashwin plays please avoid 6 variations per over, TM should drill this into his thick head. Bowl at least 4 standard offies per over at the same spot. He has bowled a few long economical spells (1.5-2.5 rpo) down under in the past. If he can't pick wickets at least choke the flow of runs from one end and be ready to bowl long spells to keep quicks fresh. Most important requirement for a visiting spinner in Aus, an area where Yasir fails miserably every time allowing Aussies to score 500-600 without breaking a sweat. 

 

Appeal loudly for marginal calls instead of showing gentlemanly behavior or doing charity....home umpires, so get their attention, put some pressure on them as well.  

 

Avoid no balls, basic. 

 

And please no comical run out in search of non-existent single. Getting run out in test cricket is a crime scene. 

Edited December 16, 2020 by Gollum

[Real McCoy]

@Gollum@express bowling Take it easy guys. So much effort on a game that we can only watch and not participate in. If Kohli and co put as much effort as you guys do in ICF, India will be an unbeatable team. don't get frustrated if TM does the same thing as they did in NZ and bewda appears in the press semi drunk and utters garbage. I don't have much hopes but I'm not writing the Indian team off either. Just relax and enjoy

[Sandeep99]

5 hours ago, express bowling said:

Pacers 

 

Just target the top of off stump with 4 or 5 deliveries every over. Bowl at full pace and hit the deck hard. 

 

Bowl 2 or 1 bouncers directed at the back shoulder of the batsman at full pace.

 

Go for a bouncer barrage during certain phases of the game,  when the ball is not moving. Preferably bowl round the wicket to right handers and over the wicket to left handers. Keep a short leg, leg slip, deep square leg and deep fine leg.

 

 

Batsmen

 

Go to the line of the ball and either play the ball under your eyes or leave them if they are missing the stumps. 

 

Don't defend or try to defend any delivery outside the off stump. This is the key. 

 

Don't defend any delivery which is clearly bouncing above the stumps ... unless it is hitting the body. 

 

Defend with soft hands.

 

Put away all the loose deliveries.

 

 

 

These are very basic things ... every cricketer knows them ... but are very often not followed by top players even.

Yes, Australia will definitely take your advice and keep it simple.

 

But Lord Loveda Lolli will try to dominate Australia at 2-8 (thanks to cheap selection blunder already made) by driving a full ball and provide catching practice to 2nd/3rd slip.

[Stan AF]

4 hours ago, Gollum said:

 

If Ashwin plays please avoid 6 variations per over, TM should drill this into his thick head. Bowl at least 4 standard offies per over at the same spot.

 

 

Once I got so much crap for saying this here.

[Gollum]

On 12/16/2020 at 12:49 PM, Gollum said:

And please no comical run out in search of non-existent single. Getting run out in test cricket is a crime scene. 

[express bowling]

Indian batsmen have left well today. Both deliveries outside the off stump as well as deliveries bouncing over the stumps.

 

And we have defended with soft hands.

 

Well done here  !

 

But ...

 

All loose balls were not put away

 

And Kohli got run out in a test match batting on 74 ... Rahane to be blamed !  WTF !

 

And 2 batsmen have got bowled, leaving gaps between the bat and the pad. Shaw needs to work on this aspect.

 

 

Edited December 17, 2020 by express bowling

[Real McCoy]

On 12/16/2020 at 12:49 PM, Gollum said:

And please no comical run out in search of non-existent single. Getting run out in test cricket is a crime scene. 

Without the runout, we might as well be 230/3 which would be a good first day in the 90s. Could have batted to 500 and have a bowl under lights. Now reaching 300 seems a bridge too far. Rahane could have sacrificed his wicket rather than run Kohli out

[Tridibans_16]

32 minutes ago, Real McCoy said:

Without the runout, we might as well be 230/3 which would be a good first day in the 90s. Could have batted to 500 and have a bowl under lights. Now reaching 300 seems a bridge too far. Rahane could have sacrificed his wicket rather than run Kohli out

 

Think from Aussie perspective. If they had gone for the DRS against Kohli when India were 45/2, we would have been bowled out for 180 odd.

 

I think we are okay as things stand.

 

Would love to get atleast 50 more runs though.

[Real McCoy]

1 hour ago, Tridibans_16 said:

 

Think from Aussie perspective. If they had gone for the DRS against Kohli when India were 45/2, we would have been bowled out for 180 odd.

 

I think we are okay as things stand.

 

Would love to get atleast 50 more runs though.

Fair enough but we are already on the backfoot after winning the toss and batting. Expected a better batting display. Lets see what happens tomorrow. If Smith is going great guns, its better to do something else than watching our team flop lol

[Ankit_sharma03]

 

 

[express bowling]

13 minutes ago, Ankit_sharma03 said:

 

 

 

 

 

This is exactly what I was saying in the OP.

 

Keep targeting the top of off stump, ball after ball at full pace. Hit the deck hard and don't be floaty.

 

Some balls will go straight, some balls will seam in a bit and some balls will seam out a bit  and some balls will bounce a bit more.

 

Wickets are bound to come.

 

And this becomes even better when surprise bouncers are bowled every over.

Edited December 17, 2020 by express bowling

[express bowling]

In the 2nd innings, the Indian batsmen displayed poor footwork in general. They stayed back to fullish deliveries and did not play the ball under their eyes.  Definitive front foot movement was missing.

 

And loose balls were not put away. We were too defensive, which allowed the Aussie seamers to bowl a very good line and length and pile on the pressure.

[express bowling]

Our fast bowlers are bowling very few top of off stump directed deliveries ... especially in the first 10 overs. So, we are not getting wickets upfront.

 

While the Aussie pacers kept on targeting the top of off stump ball after ball, and created magic in the 2nd innings.