When was the last time our bowling looked so toothless ? We deserve a 2-0 drubbing.

[Sooda]

Aww Mish aint THAT ugly, bechara Check out that winning smile ...A bit unlucky with a couple of LBWs I heard...

[punjabi_khota]

Dhondy's ever increasing criticism of Indian team is basically some twisted manifestation of his love for the team. :phehehe:

[punjabi_khota]

Atleast I stick to what I stay, but you have come out like the opportunist you are, :hysterical:, nowhere near the scene when my predictions were bang on target in the last test. T20 tu hi dekh le yaar. You are the one going bonkers about IPL coming to US. I have been consistently saying that IPL is a cancer in Indian cricket.

Main to dekhunga T20, par 2 ghante mein to T20 bhi decide nahi hota, tune to poora test match result decide kar liya tha :hysterical: Chal koi nahi, koi positive prediction ho to batana.

[Dhondy]

Dhondy's ever increasing criticism of Indian team is basically some twisted manifestation of his love for the team. :phehehe:

Don't do a Freud on me, Donks. That's my preserve.

[punjabi_khota]

Don't do a Freud on me' date=' Donks. That's my preserve.[/quote'] I know. But it is quite evident from your posts. Exceeding critical of Indian team, always ready with your danda and full of praise for other teams, including the saffers who some couldn't bowl out the greatest batsmen "Onions" twice on home grounds. Every team is allowed a slip up, except India according to you.

[Dhondy]

I know. But it is quite evident from your posts. Exceeding critical of Indian team' date=' always ready with your danda and full of praise for other teams, including the saffers who some couldn't bowl out the greatest batsmen "Onions" twice on home grounds. Every team is allowed a slip up, except India according to you.[/quote'] Yeah, I can see why it could be seen that way. However, I see things differently from the way I used to. My patriotism has eroded to the extent that I can't identify with anything Indian apart from the food. It seems to be very strange to support a mediocre side just because I always have. OTOH, I admire SA's dogged determination, their aggression, their reliance on pace, their streetfighter image, their in-your-face quality, their work ethic and appetite for putting in the punishing yards. If you have any doubts, just look at our coaching staff. Not an Indian to be seen, all South African. Why? My theory is that India can't beat SA at a single sport. Not just rugby or cricket, not a single sport. If perchance, we ever win an odd match, they'll work twice as hard and come back and pulverise us. I am more a sport lover than a patriot, admire the steel in sportsmen, hence I love their side.

[achilles]

Peace pplz. Lets not try to pullz each other downz :icflove:

[philcric]

Meh. Forget Cricket or Rugby India can't beat SA even at 'choking'. :winky:

[The Outsider]

Yeah, I can see why it could be seen that way. However, I see things differently from the way I used to. My patriotism has eroded to the extent that I can't identify with anything Indian apart from the food. It seems to be very strange to support a mediocre side just because I always have. OTOH, I admire SA's dogged determination, their aggression, their reliance on pace, their streetfighter image, their in-your-face quality, their work ethic and appetite for putting in the punishing yards. If you have any doubts, just look at our coaching staff. Not an Indian to be seen, all South African. Why? My theory is that India can't beat SA at a single sport. Not just rugby or cricket, not a single sport. If perchance, we ever win an odd match, they'll work twice as hard and come back and pulverise us. I am more a sport lover than a patriot, admire the steel in sportsmen, hence I love their side.

Jazbaa and Junoon, huh? Sorry to play the party pooper but your sport loving team 4 days from now would have gone 3 series without a win and my curry munching team 6 series without a loss. There is still time to junk jazbaa and junoon over performance. The dark side beckons!

[Mr. Wicket]

My theory is that India can't beat SA at a single sport. Not just rugby or cricket' date=' not a single sport. If perchance, we ever win an odd match, they'll work twice as hard and come back and pulverise us. I am more a sport lover than a patriot, [b']admire the steel in sportsmen, hence I love their side.

I was with you until the last part of your statement. Steel in sportsmen is a very admirable quality. Guys like Dravid, Steve Waugh, McGrath, Kumble and Chanderpaul have a lot of fantastic character traits, and regardless of how much you like or disliked those players, it was hard to not respect them for what they could accomplish from sheer grit and bloodymindedness alone. But most of this South African team? When the opportunity for greatness and sporting immortality is there, they freeze and choke. Remember the last World Cup semi-final? Win the toss, go in to bat... and then crumble to 27/5 not due to genius seam and swing or fiery pace, but to panic and brains freezing under pressure. (Smith charging Bracken and holing out; Kallis charging/backing off from McGrath and bowled; wild loose drives and slashes from Prince and De Villiers...) Or the last Champions Trophy on home turf? Pummelled around the ground by Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood and a newbie. Then poised to chase down a big total, they of course choked and collapsed again once Smith got out. Beat Australia in Australia in a big test series a year+ ago. Return series, got flayed to pieces by Johnson - first with bat, then with ball. Australia had a new, raw pace attack and Hilfenhaus, Siddle and Mitch made a mockery of South Africa in a series they were expected to walk away with. Then against England? Thrashed by an innings at one of their 'fortresses', drew two games that should have been won because they didn't have the resolve to finish off their opponents when they had them down - TWICE! - and then managed to draw the series only at the last opportunity. When the #1 spot looks them in the eye, they choke and fail. The one time they reached that summit in 2002, their reign there could have been measured in days. It's nothing new - they have done this in a few World Cups now (v. West Indies in 96, Australia in 99, Sri Lanka in 03, Australia again in 07), Champions Trophies (remember the unheralded Windies toppling them over in both 04 and 06?), and in a number of test series. When you look back at other test series in the past, there have been plenty of occasions when on the field they have LOOKED the better team - more athletic, professional, focused and prepared - yet in England in 1998, they failed to bowl out Atherton and co. at Trent Bridge and lost the series there; in Pakistan in 2003 they got beaten by a bunch of third-raters, in England in 2003 (and at home v. England last winter) they ended up drawing a series that should have been won comfortably given the talent and athletic gaps in the teams, and as I mentioned above - they got thrashed by a less experienced touring Aussie side about 12 months ago. South Africa may be fantastic natural athletes who can dive and sparkle in the field with so much brilliance, have guys like Steyn and Morkel who bowl at 90 mph and get the ball to bounce sharply or swing and be role models in terms of fitness and physical commitment - but they are not winners. Good sportsmen on paper, but when there is pressure, expectation and the chance to be the best - they routinely choke. And it will happen again this test - they have the chance to be #1 in tests if they win the series (as was the case against England recently), and I am sure they will again squander the opportunity. If you are following this series to support the team that is mentally tougher and can deliver results when the stakes are highest, you may have your eggs in the wrong basket.

[Texy]

I understand doctor sahaab's frustration with this team and his dig at India's lack of discipline and focus Mishra is given chance after chance while Ojha is warming the bench despite performing so well... Sharma is given chance after chance and still the hunger for success is missing we made a great come back but the question is can this toothless bowling bowl out SA twice?

[The Outsider]

Salil that's a wonderful post and I would have written something on similar lines if I ws not constrained to typing on the phone, but it looks like even Dhondy Is awestruck by the jazbaa and junoon over performance - sad state of affairs.

[patriot]

South Africa may be fantastic natural athletes who can dive and sparkle in the field with so much brilliance, have guys like Steyn and Morkel who bowl at 90 mph and get the ball to bounce sharply or swing and be role models in terms of fitness and physical commitment - but they are not winners. Good sportsmen on paper, but when there is pressure, expectation and the chance to be the best - they routinely choke. And it will happen again this test - they have the chance to be #1 in tests if they win the series (as was the case against England recently), and I am sure they will again squander the opportunity. If you are following this series to support the team that is mentally tougher and can deliver results when the stakes are highest, you may have your eggs in the wrong basket.

Wonderfully put. Saffies are very very competitive and will win a very high % of their games. Great natural athletes and very gifted sportsmen in general. But mentally they are very weak. The Saffie team in the 90's under Cronje was the greatest on the planet. But Aussies beat them always when it mattered most exploiting their mental weakness to the hilt. This is why Aussies have always dreaded our team, bowling wise for a large part very mediocre, but mentally tough and always ready for a dogfight when provoked. No wonder we have a better 1 to 1 record against Aussies in tests since 1995, winning 9 and losing 8. But we still continue to suck in crunch matches like finals in ODIS and have for a long time.

[patriot]

But Dhondy is absolutely true in many matters and they will come to light in the years to come. We still don't have any worthy successor to the middle order - SRT, Dravid Laxman are at max 2 years from all calling it quits. If we don't give a few young guys trials in crunch matches to see where we stand - be prepared for a series of losses not only overseas but at home as well.

[riya]

Our bowling is really inconsistent regardless of the result.

[Shehezaada]

Dhondy...uncleji you need to relax a little bit and take a step back. India fought back like true souljahz on Day 1 and have a golden opportunity to reman the #1 team in the world. They might also surpise you with a test series victory in SAF this year. Believe in this team a little bit.

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[King]

Patriot is as name suggest "Patriotic" and struggles with the ups/downs in a cricket game. South Africa is a good team and not too far behind India, you do expect them to play well don't you? Similarly India is not a poor team and they will know how to bounce back. That said, the results are not yet concluded and may depend on the next couple of days or three. I'd agree with Ishant Sharma though, he's all over the shop at the moment. When Indians toured New Zealand, may of the younger boys mind was more on activities outside cricket than on cricket. Some guys know how to switch off and switch on (Zaheer Khan) but the likes of Raina and Ishant Sharma neither have the skill or experience to switch on when required. There's a lot for these younger ones to learn from the experienced lot in the team. Gambhir is in a different class altogether though, he is single minded and utterly focussed on his cricket. No wonder the results show that meanwhile the likes of Yuvraj, Raina, Ishant, Pathan are not there yet.

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[patriot]

Patriot is as name suggest "Patriotic" and struggles with the ups/downs in a cricket game. South Africa is a good team and not too far behind India, you do expect them to play well don't you? Similarly India is not a poor team and they will know how to bounce back. That said, the results are not yet concluded and may depend on the next couple of days or three. I'd agree with Ishant Sharma though, he's all over the shop at the moment. I didn't predict but when Indians toured New Zealand, may of the younger boys mind was more on activities outside cricket than on cricket. Some guys know how to switch off and switch on (Zaheer Khan) but the likes of Raina and Ishant Sharma neither have the skill or experience to switch on when required. There's a lot for these younger ones to learn from the experience lot in the team. Gambhir is in a different class altogether though, he is single minded and utterly focussed on his cricket. No wonder the results show that.

Umm....India will win this and square the series. But you are free to live in your dream world, if you can't think beyond this series and the very near future. Our batting line up last many years has been arguably one of the strongest test batting line ups in the history of test cricket. This alone has carried the team to the lofty heights of No.1 test ranking. By and large this alone has made our bowlers appear more potent and able than they are. One glance at the test averages of our bowlers compared to those of Australia and South Africa will give you an idea about what I am talking. Yet we have won very consistently. It only goes to show how super dominant our batters have been. The last match our batters failed collectively in a long long time and how the bowlers responded was very evident. But as you and I can agree, our batting has reached such lofty heights that the next path is an inevitable down slide. I am referring to our famed middle order. In light of an inevitable ( and severe ) batting decline in the months to come and a perrenially inconsistent bowling attack, where is Indian test cricket headed ? Your guess is as good as mine.