Board president XI vs South Africa - 2nd Feb to 3rd Feb -Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur

[Sooda]

To be fair' date=' selectors have chosen to go with domestic performers who haven't been tested in international matches.We all know what Kohli and raina are upto but we dont know how dhavan or rahane or pujara will perform against international class bowling.[/quote'] We know what they can do in ODIs not the longer version of the game, thats why this was such a good chance to give them that outing

[Ram]

I strongly disagree..the thing that most people miss about Raina's batting is driving technique. To be fair he hardly gets to play them with the position he bats at in ODIs. But for someone like me who has followed right from his debut..it was the very thing that was noticeable about his batting. The guy hardly ever edges the ball. guys like Yuvraj, Rohit and Kohli edge comparitively more on the same pitches,conditions etc(obviously when attempting to drive). There is a reason why Raina was picked out of blue from a training camp for batsmen right when greg chappell started his stint..people thought he was special. Was even considered a batting prodigy. there has to be something special about a guy who has earned praise from Greg chappell, Brian Lara and Buchanan. Its really unfortunate that his problems against the short delivery were exposed..people often ignore the other aspects of his batting. Someone like kohli may be better with the short ball but people ignore his tendency to play across the line because of his shuffle at the crease(trigger movement)..which should be a big concern for any guy hoping to achieve success at the test level. What this prolly means is Raina is going to be overlooked when it comes to a Test spot...beacuse most people are going to assume he is going to be a failure anyway. So if at all Raina has to play Test cricket, he will probably have to score evry heavily in the ODI format and hope that some opportunity turns up in the form of injury to some batsman in the squad. Not ideal..but what else can he do really..when he isn't even given the opportunity to play in BP XI? Mind you this isn't the first time this is happening..happened when Aus visited in 2008 as well. Rohit(rightly at the time) and Kohli were preferred then as well. They did justify it by scoring tons in the game but it clearly shows Raina is being ignored for the longer format.

Nobody is arguing he is as talented as anyone going around. But peoples' reservation about his test credentials are not just because of his suspect technique against the short-ball, but to a certain degree, his shot-selection which seems inherently 'un-suited' to test cricket. Look, we all know most batsmen have some flaw in their technique or the other, unless of course you're a master-craftsmen like Dravid. But I have my doubts over Raina's temperament as well. Come to think of it, how does he make most of his runs in ODIs? He's part scrambler and part shock therapist. He will nudge the ball into the gaps most times and suddently, out of the blue, he will either step out to loft the bowler or stay at the crease and simply mow a length ball over the mid-wicket. That kind of batting may very be quite effective in ODIs and T20, but tests? You cannot look to be 'busy' when you're team is 120/4 in the 2nd session of day 1 when you're team's in trouble. Does Raina have the ability to look 'ugly' and play out a session where he scores only 30-35 runs? He will look to score and unfortunately, most of prolific scoring shots in ODIs are calculated, but extremely well taken risks. This is where guys like Kohli and Rohit score over him. They too are aggressive, but they dont have to manufacture shots like Raina does, to push along the scoring. Raina is a damn good player, but he still has a long way to go before he pushes for a test spot.

[cowboysfan]

will we see the UDRS being used in this series?.I hate to see this short series decided by bad decisions.

[yoda]

Raina and Kohli not in the BP XI squad is absurd. Don't tell me they are lesser of a test prospect than Manish Pandey and Rahne. May be they aren't there cause they will be getting to play the ODIs. That I can accept.

[Cricketics]

Man happy to see finally Shikhar Dhawan getting a chance to be part of BPX1 SQUAD..

[urbestfriend]

Raina and Kohli not in the BP XI squad is absurd. Don't tell me they are lesser of a test prospect than Manish Pandey and Rahne. May be they aren't there cause they will be getting to play the ODIs. That I can accept.

Mate, BP XI is not your India A squad. If you select ex-international or current players for BP-XI, when will you give chance to domestic performers? if we give chance to Kohli, raina, Irfan, Munaf, RP in BP-XI, when will Pujara, rahane, dhavan, VK, gony who have toiled hard in Ranji tournaments and came out with flying colors get a chance?

[cricketman]

southern bias from srikanth.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I cannot believe this comes up every single time a south indian player gets a deserved call up. There are 6 DELHI-ITES in the ODI Team. VS, GG, Kohli, Ishant, Nehra,and Mishra. All of them are in test contention, 4 are regulars. It is much tougher to break into the team as a south indian. Geeze.

[The Dark Horse]

Man happy to see finally Shikhar Dhawan getting a chance to be part of BPX1 SQUAD..

++:two_thumbs_up:

[Sooda]

Mate' date=' BP XI is not your India A squad. If you select ex-international or current players for BP-XI, when will you give chance to domestic performers? if we give chance to [b'] Kohli, raina, Irfan, Munaf, RP in BP-XI, when will Pujara, rahane, dhavan, VK, gony who have toiled hard in Ranji tournaments and came out with flying colors get a chance?

Thats nearly a whole XI. And thats the point -they should MIX the two- the likes of Kohli and Raina have shows they can cut it in ODIs, but the longer format is a different kettle of fish altogether. And if they are not tried out in opportunities like this, then when will they get a chance? A tours dont happen nearly often enough so effectively the BP XI is India A, or it should be. Surely they fact that they can score vs Intl attacks, and take wickets at Int'l level (albiet in ODIs) should make them far better options for a BP side than guys who can hammer Ranji attacks/take Ranji wickets The aim is to identify long term options for India test side by seeing how these guys cope against one of the best teams in the world. And from that point of view (for the reasons I mentioned in bold) at this moment Virat and/or Raina >> Pandey, Irfan >> Nayyar, Munaf and more so RPS >>> Gony (Gony was ok but nothing outstanding in this year Ranji which suggests that he's been picked largely on the back of his IPL outings)

[urbestfriend]

And thats the point -they should MIX the two- the likes of Kohli and Raina have shows they can cut it in ODIs, but the longer format is a different kettle of fish altogether. And if they are not tried out in opportunities like this, then when will they get a chance? A tours dont happen nearly often enough so effectively the BP XI is India A, or it should be.

^^ I disagree with your point of view. First of all it is just 2 days match , not 3/4 days match, so effectively each team gets 90 overs to bowl/bat. So what makes you think Raina/Kohlis who have performed well in ODI's cannot do well in 90 overs? Ans fact is they have faced international level attacks in ODI's for last 2-3 years but what about Pandey, Nayyar and Pujara? If all the tour matches have to feature ODI stars/ discards, when will our next set of players ( in your words: guys who can hammer Ranji attacks/take ranji wickets) gets a chance to face intl attacks/ intl batsmen to bowl.

The aim is to identify long term options for India test side by seeing how these guys cope against one of the best teams in the world. And from that point of view (for the reasons I mentioned in bold) at this moment Virat and/or Raina >> Pandey, Irfan >> Nayyar, Munaf and more so RPS >>> Gony (Gony was ok but nothing outstanding in this year Ranji which suggests that he's been picked largely on the back of his IPL outings)

You can't use 2 day tour to identify our long term options. Lets assume that Raina or Kohli played for BP-XI and failed to score. Do you come to conclusion that they are not fit for longer format? No. BP-XI selection can be viewed as a reward for the strong Ranji performances. Probably performace here might help selectors to select some new faces for next A- squad which features ODI players, discards and some new faces.

[Aaku]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I cannot believe this comes up every single time a south indian player gets a deserved call up. There are 6 DELHI-ITES in the ODI Team. VS, GG, Kohli, Ishant, Nehra,and Mishra. All of them are in test contention, 4 are regulars. It is much tougher to break into the team as a south indian. Geeze.

East or west DILLI is the best !

[yoda]

^^ I disagree with your point of view. First of all it is just 2 days match , not 3/4 days match, so effectively each team gets 90 overs to bowl/bat. So what makes you think Raina/Kohlis who have performed well in ODI's cannot do well in 90 overs? Ans fact is they have faced international level attacks in ODI's for last 2-3 years but what about Pandey, Nayyar and Pujara? If all the tour matches have to feature ODI stars/ discards, when will our next set of players ( in your words: guys who can hammer Ranji attacks/take ranji wickets) gets a chance to face intl attacks/ intl batsmen to bowl. You can't use 2 day tour to identify our long term options. Lets assume that Raina or Kohli played for BP-XI and failed to score. Do you come to conclusion that they are not fit for longer format? No. BP-XI selection can be viewed as a reward for the strong Ranji performances. Probably performace here might help selectors to select some new faces for next A- squad which features ODI players, discards and some new faces.

that's fair enough.

[ViruRulez]

I would have liked a 4- day match instead.. hope Board President's XI gets to bat first .. I am sure they would have given good competition at least in batting if they would have got a chance.. hope that Board President's XI win the toss, bat first and then bat for at least 4-5 sessions

[champ]

I would have liked a 4- day match instead.. hope Board President's XI gets to bat first .. I am sure they would have given good competition at least in batting if they would have got a chance.. hope that Board President's XI win the toss' date=' bat first and then bat for at least 4-5 sessions[/quote'] SA should ideally bat first .. these matches are played with an intention to give match practice to visitors ...

[Sooda]

^^ I disagree with your point of view. First of all it is just 2 days match , not 3/4 days match, so effectively each team gets 90 overs to bowl/bat. So what makes you think Raina/Kohlis who have performed well in ODI's cannot do well in 90 overs? Ans fact is they have faced international level attacks in ODI's for last 2-3 years but what about Pandey, Nayyar and Pujara? If all the tour matches have to feature ODI stars/ discards, when will our next set of players ( in your words: guys who can hammer Ranji attacks/take ranji wickets) gets a chance to face intl attacks/ intl batsmen to bowl. You can't use 2 day tour to identify our long term options. Lets assume that Raina or Kohli played for BP-XI and failed to score. Do you come to conclusion that they are not fit for longer format? No. BP-XI selection can be viewed as a reward for the strong Ranji performances. Probably performace here might help selectors to select some new faces for next A- squad which features ODI players, discards and some new faces.

Still the longer format of the game agst Steyn and Morkel which will be a far sterner test than an ODI which brings all the batsman friendly elements with it. The way they perform or not will give us an indication of what they can do. For instance: We all know Raina isnt great against the short ball now could be a good op for him to show the selectors how far he has come in improving on that. If Pandey makes a good century say- would that mean he's ahead of the test middle order spot queue than Raina and Kohli? Thatd be unfair. And Im not saying dont play ANY Ranji stars- the cream ala cream like Pandey and Pujara should be in the squad, as they are. (Pandey wouldnt make my final playing XI though as he's had just the one very good Ranji season. Pujara, Dhawan and Rahane have been consistent for a little longer.) Then there are the likes of Gony, Nayyar and Ashwin who are not test players! Which is why I think someone like RP (and I dont know how well he has bowled in the Ranji matches- but we know he can do a job for us in test cricket) and Irfan who has had a decent Ranji season should be given an op to show whether/how much form they have rediscovered. Dhoni didnt trust Nayyars bowling in ODIs, which says a lot. The way I see it- this is a matchs versus a test side which means players more likely to make our own test side should play. An A team match would be (in all likelihood) versus other A teams right? And what do Raina and Kohli have to prove carting around other countries second strings around?

[Feed]

Parthiv seeks maximum from BP XI VS South Africa match A baby-faced boy seemed to have emerged as answer to India's quest for a wicketkeeper. Nayan Mongia was fading out and the likes of Sameer Dighe, Vijay Dahiya, Ajay Ratra were being tried without much success. More... Parthiv seeks maximum from South Africa match Atreyo Mukhopadhyay, Hindustan Times January 31, 2010 A baby-faced boy seemed to have emerged as answer to India's quest for a wicketkeeper. Nayan Mongia was fading out and the likes of Sameer Dighe, Vijay Dahiya, Ajay Ratra were being tried without much success. So when Parthiv Patel was plucked out of the India U-19 team, made his debut in England in 2002 and left the field amid applause from the English players after a plucky, unbeaten 19 that helped India avoid defeat in his first Test, it seemed as if a suitable boy had arrived. Strong square off the wicket, Parthiv did play a few more gutsy knocks including a 69 as opener in Rawalpindi against Shoaib Akhtar in 2003-04 but his keeping, particularly in the Sydney Test earlier that season, eventually cost him a place in the side. Although he kept in Sri Lanka in 2008 when M.S. Dhoni opted out, he has subsequently been overtaken by Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik and Wriddhiman Saha. But as Gujarat opener, Parthiv continues to be a prolific batsman in domestic cricket. He was the third highest scorer in this season's Ranji Trophy (727 runs in seven matches at 66.09). A place in the Board President's XI to take on South Africa is a just reward for that. And that's something he is looking forward to. “I'll be playing against a foreign team after some time and want to make most of it,” Parthiv told HT. “Things like selection I can't control. My job is to perform and I'm happy with the way I've done. I've had a good season, improved as a batsman, my record shows that, and I have scored runs on different surfaces. I have also taken some good catches. I'm a better cricketer now than what I used to be.” Like every Indian cricketer, the 25-year-old is excited about the IPL, where he has had two decent seasons with the Chennai Super Kings, having scored some brisk runs as opener. “It's been a great stint so far. It's exciting to be playing with Dhoni and other superstars of international cricket. We've had a good run too and once the South Africa match gets over, I'll start focusing on the IPL.” Out of sight but not completely out of mind, Parthiv has done his cause no harm by making good of the opportunities. Having seen both sides of the coin and with age still on his side, he has every reason to keep fingers crossed and hope that one day, his chance will come again.

[saneindian]

Unless he improves his keeping (which is still shoddy to say the least), it will ve tough for him to come back to team India. BTW hasnt he captained the A sides and BP 11 teams before? Any reason why Rohit (who hasnt captained any sides AFAIK) has been preferred ?

[bsriharsha]

cause Rohit is seen as a future prospect whereas the prospects of wicketkeeper - batsmen getting a regular place in the side is very slim considering that the guy who is currently in the team just so happens to be the captain

[Lord]

Unless he improves his keeping (which is still shoddy to say the least), it will ve tough for him to come back to team India. BTW hasnt he captained the A sides and BP 11 teams before? Any reason why Rohit (who hasnt captained any sides AFAIK) has been preferred ?

Saha's keeping isnt great either.atleast PP is making runs

[saneindian]

Saha's keeping isnt great either.atleast PP is making runs

Are you sure on that? I have heard many experts say Saha is the best keeper in India and a first class average of 38 proves he is no mug with the bat either. Whatever little I saw of him in the IPL and in the last challenger series impressed me. Looks to be a nimble footed, very agile keeper with proper keeping technique unlike Parthiv, DK or even MSD.