T Natarajan could make his debut at the SCG - TOI

[Cricketics]

Use your pace resources or keep cribbing later. Saini was picked for this tour to bowl fast, hit the deck hard and use the Aussie pitches to his potential. At home he is not going to play ahead of Bumrah or anyone yet. Why not just use him now. If he doesn't play now, he won't get to play test cricket for a long long time. 

 

This is going to be absolute bull if Saini is left out. With no Umesh and Shami, here is our chance to show promise in Saini and select him. 

 

 

[G_B_]

14 minutes ago, Suhaan said:

Sydney won't spin as many would think here,no matter how bad they fared against our bowling,they will always attack our batsmen with their pacers,so the strip is been designed as such to assist seamers

Three spinners that too based on an assumption is bit too much

Play three pacers ,Jaddu,Ashvin are enough to extract any spin on offer

 

 

Thankyou. This makes sense.

 

Kuldeep i dont think even bowled in the warm ups.

 

 

[G_B_]

16 minutes ago, Suhaan said:

Sydney won't spin as many would think here,no matter how bad they fared against our bowling,they will always attack our batsmen with their pacers,so the strip is been designed as such to assist seamers

Three spinners that too based on an assumption is bit too much

Play three pacers ,Jaddu,Ashvin are enough to extract any spin on offer

 

 

 

Just to add to this, spinners in Sydney usually come into play on day 3 onwards. To pick 3 frontline spinners is a mindless selection. This is not the subcontinent. A third seamer is very much needed to support Bumrah and Siraj,

 

It all boils down to your preferences

 

Natarajan offers more control, more variety 

Saini offers more pace and hits the deck and something with the bat

Thakur is a bowler who also offers the most with the bat to ensure the tail can wag and can bowl above 135 in bursts.

 

Depending on your preferences chose one of these three. Personally I think each one has their merits and demerits.

[MechEng]

I have a gut feeling that SCG will be a greentop, because Australia knows that our fast bowlers are injured and Pujara is undercooked, to neutralize Ashwin they will prepare a greentop. In that case, play Saini.

 

Pitch could be similar to the one they gave to Pakistan in 2010.

[express bowling]

33 minutes ago, Cricketics said:

Use your pace resources or keep cribbing later. Saini was picked for this tour to bowl fast, hit the deck hard and use the Aussie pitches to his potential. At home he is not going to play ahead of Bumrah or anyone yet. Why not just use him now. If he doesn't play now, he won't get to play test cricket for a long long time. 

 

This is going to be absolute bull if Saini is left out. With no Umesh and Shami, here is our chance to show promise in Saini and select him. 

 

 

 

 

This is Saini bowling in FC matches.

 

Lots of wickets with quick, skiddy, top of off stump directed balls that seam both ways.

 

This is what is needed in test matches.

 

He has a lot of potential as a test match bowler.

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2020 by express bowling

[G_B_]

If green top then saini is no brainer.

 

But i doubt aus want to take that gamble. They want to neutralise our bowling given their poor batting. A pitch on the flatter side to get likes of warner n smith into some form makes more sense.

[Real McCoy]

32 minutes ago, G_B_ said:

 

 

Vihari has picked up 2 wicket at Perth v Australia in 2018. Two set batsman at that. Last I checked Perth was not exactly spin friendly. He has also bowled 7 overs for 14 runs and picked up 1 wicket in the warm up with Australia A on this tour.

 

If you think he is just dibly dobly then I rest my case.

 

PS use of smiles is a form of weakness.

 

 

 

Take it easy buddy. Dont get heated up and feel the need to determine how strong or weak my post is. here's another smiley for you

[express bowling]

Saini bowling beautiful lines and lengths in this compilation.

 

 

 

Sa

[Cricketics]

22 minutes ago, express bowling said:

 

 

This is Saini bowling in FC matches.

 

Lots of wickets with quick, skiddy, top of off stump directed balls that seam both ways.

 

This is what is needed in test matches.

 

He has a lot of potential as a test match bowler.

 

 

Exactly, great share.

 

See It could be a flat wicket and he might struggle, but then so be it. This is the time to unleash it. Anyone can struggle, even Bumrah on his bad day can struggle, best of the best struggle on flat pitches, Cummins could go wicket less all day or Bumrah. Why should we fear etc. 

 

We have been travelling to Australia every few years and we have seen many bowlers having a bad day and eventually coming back to bowl well. If Saini has a bad day on a flat deck, so be it. We have to be patient.

 

It could be 250-1 Australia on closer to the end of day 1 in 80 overs and a new ball is due with 10  overs remaining in theday and he might bowl a quicker one in his last burst of the day, short and pace to get a set batsman out at the end of the day and and soon a new batsman could be exposed at the end of the day and that could very well turn into 285-4. This is the kind of impact he can have. 

 

We must try him now. No one has proved they can be better than Saini in test cricket for India in Indian line up yet. So Saini should get a nod. 

[Real McCoy]

6 minutes ago, express bowling said:

Saini bowling beautiful lines and lengths in this compilation.

 

 

 

Sa

Looks like more batsmen were beaten for pace more than anything. Good pace though. These lines are good for Indian pitches but need to pitch further up because Aussies will leave on length if its shorter than full/good length even if its on the stumps. Definitely better than Nataraj or Shardul

[sandeep]

9 hours ago, Lone Wolf said:

Don't know man we don't play even 3 spinners in India mostly.  If Ashwin was bowling badly then perhaps Kuly could've been tried but it hasn't happened.  Need a 3rd pacer especially when It is expected to rain at Sydney.  Overcast skies may help pacers.  That's why we all wanted Prasidh to tour as well.  Prasidh >> Saini & Shardul

Kuldeep playing along with Ashwin is for subcontinent only.  

 

I would have thought Natarajan isn't test cricket ready, and would go with Saini.  But If Rahane feels Natarajan should play ahead of Saini, I trust him. 

[G_B_]

They saying natrajan offers two advantages 

 

Adds vareity which aids v tail enders

 

He can create foot marks which will allow likes of jaddu to operate from the rough.

 

Ultimately its about the pitch and the weather conditions

[Gollum]

Forecast says rain will play a part during the test, in fact it has been raining in Sydney whole December. Imagine how foolish we will look if Aus bat first and we have just two quicks with heavy overcast conditions. 

[Gollum]

Saini also strengthens the lower order. With Ashwin at 8, Saini at 9 some hope to annoy them with our tail. 

 

Ashwin has a good record with the bat at SCG, scored a brisk 62 in 2012 test and 50 in 2015. Hope the nice memories spur him on to score his 3rd 50 at this venue. 

Edited December 30, 2020 by Gollum

[gakgupta]

I trust rahane on this...

 

If it was kohli...then there is a reason to worry...Rahane knows what he is doing...leave it to him

[express bowling]

35 minutes ago, Cricketics said:

 

See It could be a flat wicket and he might struggle, but then so be it. This is the time to unleash it.

 

 

 

One interesting thing about flat tracks is that  ... these days Indian quicks unleash a bouncer barrage the moment the ball stops moving or wickets are not falling.

 

And often, wickets come via this tactic.

 

Even in the 2nd test 2nd innings, when batting became easy,

 we saw Cummins, Green and Lyon being bounced out  ... and Head and Hazlewood were almost bounced out too.

 

Saini would be the ideal pacer to do this. He can add value on flat tracks too.

[sandeep]

One thought just occurred to me - maybe the 'leak' about Natarajan is intentional - given the long lead up time before the next test - maybe they want the Aussie analysts and team mgmt to waste more time digging up videos of Natarajan bowling with the red ball, doing analysis on what he does etc.  

 

 

[MechEng]

13 minutes ago, Gollum said:

Forecast says rain will play a part during the test, in fact it has been raining in Sydney whole December. Imagine how foolish we will look if Aus bat first and we have just two quicks with heavy overcast conditions. 

 

Indian quicks have never got the kookaburra to swing whether overcast or not, even Zak struggled in Australia because of that. Except for Irfan Pathan I have never seen an Indian bowler swinging the ball in Australia.

 

If Natarajan gets late swing, that will be a bonus to our attack and adds variety. Saini is quick but Warner/Smith thrive against pace, so Natarajan might be a risk worth taking.

[sandeep]

4 minutes ago, MechEng said:

 

Indian quicks have never got the kookaburra to swing whether overcast or not, even Zak struggled in Australia because of that. Except for Irfan Pathan I have never seen an Indian bowler swinging the ball in Australia.

 

If Natarajan gets late swing, that will be a bonus to our attack and adds variety. Saini is quick but Warner/Smith thrive against pace, so Natarajan might be a risk worth taking.

But we don't need to gamble on 'risk' because our front-line bowlers are proven to be effective - With Boomrah, Ash, Jaddu and Siraj, the primary factor for me is for that 5th  bowler to maintain the pressure and not become the weak link that leaks.  I don't need to gamble with that type of risk in pursuit of wickets because the main guys are doing the job.  

 

 

[Cricketics]

25 minutes ago, express bowling said:

 

 

One interesting thing about flat tracks is that  ... these days Indian quicks unleash a bouncer barrage the moment the ball stops moving or wickets are not falling.

 

And often, wickets come via this tactic.

 

Even in the 2nd test 2nd innings, when batting became easy,

 we saw Cummins, Green and Lyon being bounced out  ... and Head and Hazlewood were almost bounced out too.

 

Saini would be the ideal pacer to do this. He can add value on flat tracks too.

Yes, NZ used the same tactic last year and our bowlers are quicker than Southee, Boult and Wagner who i thought bowled well without luck in that series even though Wagner succeeded with his plans of Smith. 

 

If field placements are consistent like last game we had, we had, Saini could very well do the job for India.