Who should be the 3rd paceman in our test side?

[bharat297]

Its a tough one ... Im not exactly sure ... Id probably be leaning towards Sreesanth or Praveen because they are our 2 best swing bowlers in that list. Sreesanth adds a bit of extra pace (which is always useful), plus he is a better test bowler than ODI bowler. Praveen is another great swing bowler, and is more accurate than Sreesanth. Munaf is also accurate and is quick when he wants to be. He doesnt swing it a great deal though, and cant be relied upon to bowl long spells. RP Singh, another good swing bowler ... has the pace, but like Sreesanth is quit erratic. Pathan, could have been our best swing bowler, ... he had the pace (once upon a time) ... dont know where it went. Its a tough one. We cant always play 2 spinners.

[Kartikey]

Irfan

[bharat297]

did u vote? if u feel it should be irfan ... vote

[Shane]

Sreesanth

[bharat297]

Please also discuss why

[Holysmoke]

Whoever is fit.

[Shane]

Sreesanth - because he is far better Test bowler, than RP,IP has a good seam position and always gives a 100% However having said that i would like to see Praveen Kumar opening the bowling with Irfan Pathan whenever we tour New Zealand, they would really make the ball talk, but in the subcontinent i would stick to Zak,Ishant and Shree

[Fontaine]

Good thread. In swinging conditions I think it's a choice between RP Singh and Pathan. Both can swing the ball well. Pathan brings the added element of being a decent number 7 as well and can bowl long spells. Rp Singh though would get my vote because as a pure bowler, he extracts more swing, can go over and around the wicket effectively at decent pace and has pretty good accuracy. He's the most effective number 3 bowler we had last year and bowled lionheartedly against Australia. On flat tracks I think it's a toss up between Sreesanth and Patel. Sreesanth is a decent pace bowler and has a decent wicket taking record although he can't bowl long spells and is probably our weakest bowler in terms of effectiveness over long bowling days because he doesn't have natural pace and the more spells he bowls the slower he gets. Patel is all potential. His ability to bowl yorkers/bouncers at 135 plus gives us a very good bowler on flat tracks but he's just so damn inconsistent. His pace has dropped off and he doesn't bowl with confidence not to mention his horrible fielding. So in summary it really depends on the conditions with RP Singh and Sreesanth being my two choices but it's all important that Pathan/Patel gain some form and accuracy because we really need these young guys to bowl more consistently. The basic problem is that we only have two bowlers right now that can bowl with any effectiveness on all conditions in Sharma/Khan. The rest are hot and cold depending on the conditions.

[The Outsider]

I don't think it's a tough one at all- I've backed Sreesanth to become one of the best pacers to represent India for many years and haven't seen any reasons to go back on it till now.

[Dravid]

sree or RP... Irfan should be no where near test team right now

[Ram]

Sreesanth? :haha: What has he done, apart from his one-off miracle against South Africa? When I first saw the poll, I was expecting the result to be overwhelmingly in favor of RPS, but shocked to see I was the first guy to vote for him. If ever we needed proof that public memory is short, this has to be it. Before Ishant's heroism in Aus, with Zak out being injured, RPS was our no.1 strike pacer, even with people like Munaf, Sreesant around. How conveniently people have forgotten his spells of bowling in England last summer ( his 5-for in Lords in the 2nd innings was a master-class and of course, that BRILLIANT display of swing bowling in the first innings against Aus at perth, which essentially sealed the match for us). Succintly put, RPS has played a significant role in two of our most famous test performances victories in the last couple of years. And dont forget his ODI performances. He was instrumental in us winning the T20 championships, in which he was close to unplayable. Sure, he did look a bit jaded in the Saffie series, but who didnt? One poor series and a few months out due to injury and one of India's most promising bowlers is out of people's reckoning. Sreesanth is just a showpony who hasnt done anything worthwhile since the Jo'berg performance. RPS is the silent performer, always low-key. If India plays 3 seamers or one of Zak or Ishant is injured, he HAS to be in the line-up.

[Ram]

I don't think it's a tough one at all- I've backed Sreesanth to become one of the best pacers to represent India for many years and haven't seen any reasons to go back on it till now.

Thats the funniest thing I have heard in a long while.. :haha:

[punjabi_khota]

I think RP is better than people here are giving credit him for. He was pretty good in England, and Australia tours. Bowls at a decent pace, and there is very little to choose between him and Sree.

[Ram]

If anyone needs proof about RPS is far and away a better bowler than Sreesanth, here ya go. Nb-GciQ86EQ Hussey's wicket was swing at 140 kmph. The one that got Gilchrist was a stunning bounce off a length. 149MfkZIcfg But for RPS' spell of bowling, we would have certainly lost that match and gone 0-1 in the series. Qhybizwx6fA Surely, people havent forgotten the 'banana ball' have they? 00asqpoEY1c RPS was just unplayable in this match, or should I stress T20 match. Now, how often do we get to say that? A bowler dominating a T20 match? F_zhbvctaNo If ever people need direct proof for why RPS has to be selected over Sreesanth, atleast for LOIs, its this match. Sree was trying his BEST to lose this match, going for 18 runs of his first over. RPS kept us in the match with his superb bowling. Note Slater's and Shastri's comments after he nails Akmal.

[bharat297]

I think I was the only one to have voted for Praveen Kumar ... lol

[MPS 3]

S Sreesanth by a long way! Yes RP has got quality too but Sreesanth is in whole new league when he is in form like the South Africa tour. He has got lively pace, he can swing the ball and he gives it 100% every time.

[The Outsider]

Sreesanth - 50 wickets in 14 matches @ 31. RP Singh - 40 wickets in 13 matches @ 39.

[sandtest]

Yep, Sree's talented but need to put lots of effort to keep his line and length in control just like his emotions. In actual selection, it always depends upon pitch conditions and form. If it's favorable to swing I will back Irfan since he can add a few valuable runs. Otherwise it's between Sree and RP -- whoever is in better form during that time.

[Ram]

Sreesanth - 50 wickets in 14 matches @ 31. RP Singh - 40 wickets in 13 matches @ 39.

No context, no match situation, just meaningless numbers. Apart from that lone test match in South Africa, how many of the other 13 test matches did Sreesanth help us win/draw?

[The Outsider]

No context, no match situation, just meaningless numbers. Apart from that lone test match in South Africa, how many of the other 13 test matches did Sreesanth help us win/lose?

Bowled superbly at Bombay, Kingston, Johannesburg, Durban, Oval. Not sure what more you can expect in a 13 match career.