bring on the nagpur curator

[Chandan]

Here is this news from Hindustan Times: Nagpur set to roll out slow track Nagpur IN CONTRAST to the green top on which Australia defeated India at the old VCA stadium four years ago, the virgin wicket at the Vidarbha Cricket Association's new state-of-the-art 45,000-capacity stadium is bereft of grass and if VCA officials are to be believed, the wicket is expected to offer modest bounce and would be slowpaced. The response to the fourth and final Test of the BorderGavaskar Trophy is lukewarm and a cause of concern for officials. "Crowd response for the season tickets (priced at Rs 750, 1000, 6000, 7500 and 10000) is not encouraging. There are no daily tickets," said chief co-ordinator for the match Sidhir Dabin. However, BCCI and VCA president, Shashank Manohat remained unperturbed. He did not subscribe to the view that spectators were staying away from the ongoing Test series because of lack of proper facilities at venues. Pointing to the response during the Indian Premier League, he said, "The IPL matches were held at the same venues and attracted big crowds. The matches got over in three hours and it was like going to a movie." He said it was no surprise that crowds did not pack the stands during Tests unlike in the past when there was no television coverage and matches were few and far "In those days, there would be one Test at a venue in one or two years and there were no television coverage. Now, people can watch international matches almost every day on television." Manohar said there were plans to erect floodlights at the stadium after the end of the Test.

[Fontaine]

Slow and low huh? Well our spinners will be in good form with Sehwag providing a vital boost. The pacemen seem to have gained a real understanding and rhythym no how to bowl on these tracks. We were unlucky in Kotla as the pacemen had magnificient spells but the inside edges, lbw appeals, and various edges/nicks didn't get the breakthrough. Good disciplined bowling always gets it's rewards and the fast bowlers are due!!!

[bharat297]

In that case, I'd have the exact same side as the Mohali team. If for some reason Gambhir actually does have to miss this game ... then Id pick the in-form Virat Kohli to come in and replace Gauti.

[Fontaine]

In that case' date=' I'd have the exact same side as the Mohali team. If for some reason Gambhir actually does have to miss this game ... then Id pick the in-form Virat Kohli to come in and replace Gauti.[/quote'] So you would retain Dravid in the squad huh? Interesting.

[DomainK]

To be honest, if I was Dhoni, my first objective would be to secure the series. The best would be to first bat Australia out of the game and then look for a win. If we win, its great. If its a draw, we still get the trophy. Its must win for Australia....not for India. So, I wont mind a flat track where Sehwag can hit another triple, Dravid can crawl into some sort of form, Tendulkar would toy with the bowlers, dada can earn himself a last century, Laxman can cream the bowlers for boundaries. As a spectator, however, I would love to see a sporting wicket which lends some help to pacers or spinners (we are well equipped for both). I would love to see India hand an innings defeat to Asutralia and send them home with some humiliation.

[Fontaine]

As a spectator, however, I would love to see a sporting wicket which lends some help to pacers or spinners (we are well equipped for both). I would love to see India hand an innings defeat to Asutralia and send them home with some humiliation.

Then sit back and enjoy because our fast bowlers have been playing beautifully on these flat, low tracks. Zaheer has his leg cutters, deliveries that seam off the pitch and Sharma consistently nips the ball back into the right handers with the odd one keeping straight. Plus the added ability to reverse the ball twice (once when it's new and when it gets older). It's a real pleasure to watch these two operate and on the third day when Australia was batting the bowlers did everything that the Aussie bowlers couldn't do apart from Lee getting reverse swing a couple of times. And now with Kumble gone we actually have bowlers who are a threat with the ball instead of Kumble looking toothless unless he was getting turn out of the rough. Our fielding just has to be alert and from Srikkanth's comments recently, it has been made a priority.

[DomainK]

Then sit back and enjoy because our fast bowlers have been playing beautifully on these flat, low tracks. Zaheer has his leg cutters, deliveries that seam off the pitch and Sharma consistently nips the ball back into the right handers with the odd one keeping straight. Plus the added ability to reverse the ball twice (once when it's new and when it gets older). It's a real pleasure to watch these two operate and on the third day when Australia was batting the bowlers did everything that the Aussie bowlers couldn't do apart from Lee getting reverse swing a couple of times. And now with Kumble gone we actually have bowlers who are a threat with the ball instead of Kumble looking toothless unless he was getting turn out of the rough. Our fielding just has to be alert and from Srikkanth's comments recently, it has been made a priority.

I think we should make it a rule: if you cant field, you are out of the team. Whoever it is. Stay fit and alert or stay out of the team.

[King Tendulkar]

I think we should make it a rule: if you cant field' date=' you are out of the team. Whoever it is. Stay fit and alert or stay out of the team.[/quote'] Well thats the end of laxman then:--D

[Fontaine]

I think we should make it a rule: if you cant field' date=' you are out of the team. Whoever it is. Stay fit and alert or stay out of the team.[/quote'] Yup, pretty much why Dhoni insisted on a younger side.

[DomainK]

Well thats the end of laxman then:--D

Not necessarily. Laxman has a safe pair of hands in the slips. He may not be good at chasing, sliding and throwing, but he is not a misfit.

[cochise]

Well, I want to see a good contest...but slow low probably means it will be a hard toil for the bowlers and 20 wickets will be hard to come by...I hope it affords good spinning conditions, at least. Really don't want to see another meandering draw in the offing.

[Fontaine]

Well here are two things to watch out for. Hayden, while a top batsmen, as a left hander is weak agains the ball that pitches on the offstump/just outside offstump line and swings or seams into him. That's not going to change, it's been his weakeness since Bond wrecked him a couple of years ago and it's the same way now. It's why Zaheer has had such success against him regardless of the pitch. Zaheer has mastered the art of bowling it at the offstump line and getting it to swing or seam into the left handers. He wrecked England with this type of delivery, against Sri Lanka in the ODI he made Sanga look stupid with it and now he's done it again and again with Hayden. He almost got him out a few times on the third day but Hayden was lucky and got enough bat on those deliveries to survive even though he wasn't middling it and was fortunate not to get an inside edge into the stumps. It's the same situation with Sharma. Except it's to the right hander Ponting who's a bit late on his footwork early in his innings because no doubt it's playing in his mind that Sharma has got him out so many times. Sharma bowls on the offstump line but has a natural angle to pushes the ball into Ponting and this delivery has troubled him time and time again. In Australia Sharma was twice as effective because he got outswingers and inswingers to Ponting so that's why it has been called the spell of that series. This time Sharma is using reverse swing and seam movement to nip the ball into Ponting and has rocked his stumps, LBWs and edges to slip. He did this again on the third day and Ponting visibly didnt have an idea which delivery was going to seam in and which one would carry straight on. Ponting was again lucky to survive that spell from Sharma. Our fast bowlers have the wood on these two guys who are the backbone of their batting. The best thing is that they are doing it regardless of the pitch and swing but using good old fashion seam position and occasional reverse. Hussey has impressed me far more because his technique is far more solid and I can't see any such clear weakeness.

[MundaPakistani]

Not sure if sitting on a lead for 2 test matches is a good idea. IND are skillful enough to win the game.

[Sachinism]

why a slow low pitch its going to suck even our spinners require a bit of pace in the wicket

[bharat297]

^ Yeah thats right ... This is a match where our batsman really need to step up. We need some big centuries like last match.