Discussing the 2nd test between India and SA at Kolkata, 2010

[Lord]

He must having practising darts in his hotel room:dontknow:

[Feed]

This South African side is mentally better prepared: Corrie van Zyl It was an ad hoc appointment but one that simply worked to an advantage. Corrie van Zyl was named the interim coach of South Africa following the controversial resignation of Mickey Arthur last month. More... This South African side is mentally better prepared: Corrie van Zyl Last updated on: February 10, 2010 16:22 IST It was an ad hoc appointment but one that simply worked to an advantage. Corrie van Zyl was named the interim coach of South Africa following the controversial resignation of Mickey Arthur last month. And his immediate challenge was a tough one -- a tour to India, a team that was riding on a 14-match unbeaten run. But the 48-year-old, despite the lack of time, decided to make the opportunity count. So he encouraged his players to forget the controversies back home and concentrate instead on training hard. The result, a resounding innings and six run win over India in the opening Test in Nagpur and one that happened inside four days. The South African coach was palpably elated at the achievement, while being cautious at the same time. "It is a perfect start," he gushed. "But I'm also realistic and understand is its not going to be easy from now on. "The second Test is going to be tougher and we need to be adequately prepared for that," he added. Coming in at such a short notice and getting the act together must have been tough. How did he adapt to his new role? "My concerns, when I assumed the role of a coach, weren't team related but more regarding my new role," admitted Van Zyl, adding, "But I did know that it wouldn't be much difficult as I already knew most of the guys." There was a challenge ahead of the tour though. "My biggest challenge was to prepare the players in such a congested time to adapt to these conditions," said the coach. "The key was to make sure that the player's mindset is right ahead of the series." Van Zyl admitted he was happy with the way his team had responded. "I was telling the team and the management that I was pleasant surprised with the level of professionalism," explained Van Zyl, adding, "Obviously a lot of credit for this goes to Mickey (Arthur) and Kepler (Wessels) for the effort they put in to ensure this. "But it definitely made my introduction in this team a lot easier," he added. Being a fast bowler himself Van Zyl was impressed with the manner in which his bowlers carried about the plans. "I think aggression in bowling is something that is part of our gameplan," he explained. "The bowling has to work as a unit and that makes it all the more effective. "And every bowler has to understand well what his role is in this unit," added the coach. With Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh ruled out of the tour, and VVS Laxman's participation tentative, does South Africa feel they have a better chance against this younger and comparatively inexperienced Indian side. "When you start thinking in that way complacency creeps in," cautioned Van Zyl, adding, "The moment you think any player is lesser, you are actually making a mistake. "So there will be no change in our strategy and preparation for the Kolkata Test." The last occasion South Africa had toured India (in 2008) and got them into a 1-0 lead, they had had to play on a minefield of the wicket in the final Test at Kanpur -- one that they lost inside three days. Does the coach expect a similar wicket in Kolkata? "It won't be a minefield but it will definitely help the Indian spinners better," opined Van Zyl, adding, "But mentally this side is certainly bettered prepared than what it was during the last tour." The coach was very clear about his plan of action ahead of the Kolkata Test. "I am trying to assess each of our players on an individual basis to ensure we achieve the objective we set out to," said Van Zyl. "We are also going to see how the Indian team approaches this Test in terms of selection and plan accordingly," he added.

[zubinpepsi]

god.. they just won one match.. and they dont shutup eeh.... for all the talks they r making.. they gonna look like complete fools if they lose at edens..

[saneindian]

Before the Aus series of 00-01, Bhajji used to practise under the supervision of NCA spin coach Prasanna . IIRC, Prasanna used to draw a small circle a feet outside the off stump at the good length spot asking bhajji to land as many balls as he could on that circle. Bhajji had credited most of his success in that series to those sessions with Prasanna. Another similar stint with Prasanna for a couple of days before the Eden test wont do any harm to Bhajji.

[Ramzz]

Bhajji needs a break. He has clearly lost his guile.

[Ramzz]

Before the Aus series of 00-01, Bhajji used to practise under the supervision of NCA spin coach Prasanna . IIRC, Prasanna used to draw a small circle a feet outside the off stump at the good length spot asking bhajji to land as many balls as he could on that circle. Bhajji had credited most of his success in that series to those sessions with Prasanna. Another similar stint with Prasanna for a couple of days before the Eden test wont do any harm to Bhajji.

If after so many matches he still needs to be spoon fed then he does not deserve it. Being the senior spinner, he should be the mentor to Mishra & co.

[S.Bond]

Vijay will be better a better choice than VVs at 3 for the following reasons : 1. Vijay is a regular opener so he should not have many problem facing the fat bowlers with the new ball... 2. Laxman has not done so much agaisnt new ball in the days he was used to open the innings. 3. It's better to mix experience and new comers rather than have, viru, gauti, vvs and srt in top 4 and badri and vijay at 5 and 6... They will have too much pressure if india loose the big guns eral... Where as if they have vvs or SRT on the other hand they will feel more confortable...

[Ramzz]

Let them talk they played well. If they get complacent, better for us. Our bowling is our main worry, don't know how we are going to take twenty wickets.

[straight.drive]

First of all there were instructions to prepare a turning pitch, not a dustbowl that greeted saffers in 2008 at Kanpur. And this SA team cannot claim to be number one with out a victory on a spinning track. They have a long tradition of being bunnies to quality spin. In addition, there is no evidence to support the claim that skills required on spinning tracks are inferior to the ones on seaming or bouncy wickets.

[gs]

See, we are missing a left hander in the middle. But that does not mean we hand out a cap to Raina just like that. This is how I would play the 2nd Test, if it were upto me: Open with Sehwag and Murali Vijay. Have Laxman come in at No.3, Tendulkar at No.4, Gambhir at No.5, Badri at No.6, followed by Dhoni and the rest. That way Harris cannot stifle our middle order with his negative line. All things considered this is really the best way to go. And we are not burdening Vijay, because he is first and foremost an opener. Neither are we asking Laxman to do something he is not willing to do. That leaves us only with Gambhir who I am sure wont be happy. But this is the only combination that makes sense. So...

Completely agree. GG's technically flaw has been brutally exposed. So just a short term measure, opening with Vijay may not be bad at all.

[Jersey #10]

Watch Laxman fail in the second test Play Harbhajan at 3 for the sake of it...:rotfl:..

[achilles]

These guys better perform.

[achilles]

If SA pacers pwn us again in Kolkata, we are seriously going to see an express pacer getting picked in the coming months.

[coffee_rules]

These guys better perform.

Otherwise, what?

[Andy]

If SA pacers pwn us again in Kolkata' date=' we are seriously going to see an express pacer getting picked in the coming months.[/quote'] Sorry Andy, i cant see dat hapening. May be am wrong, but am yet to see a 140km/hr+ bowler in domestic circuit. Though Tyagi is a medium pacer, i believe he sudnt have been dropped, for sum1 like shreesanth who didnt look impressive at all in bangladesh.

[cricketman]

1. Virender Sehwag 2. Gautam Gambhir 3. VVS Laxman 4. Sachin Tendulkar 5. S Badrinath 6. Murali Vijay 7. MS Dhoni 8. Zaheer Khan 9. Sreesanth 10. Murali Kartik* 11. Sudeep Tyagi* Screw 2 spinners. F Harbhajan, F Mishra, F Ishant. Kartik is the most experienced spinner in India, bowls with fire, intent, and aggression. Was unfairly dropped after a MAN OF THE MATCH performance of 6/27 AGAINST AUSTRALIA. Throw Pissanth out, bring Tyagi in. His height and pace can prove to me effective. Give me a seaming track. Our spinners won't be able to turn it on a dustbowl anyways and we will end up folding to Harris again. Not like we can find 2 great spinners anyways. Sehwag, Tendulkar, Badri can handle 2nd spinner role well.

[cricketman]

Bhajji skips? Someone needs to kick his ass back to Punjab.

[TheWall]

maybe somebody told Bhajji he's not in the playing eleven..

[virufan]

maybe somebody told Bhajji he's not in the playing eleven..

Bhajji will play in the 2nd test as he has good record in Eden Garden. Hope he finds his magic there. Laxman's statement is true regarding our bench strength wrt spinners. Did not hear of any good spinner even in the domestic matches that were played recently. R.Ashwin needs to be tried as he can bat well too.

[teacup]

The final XI will depend on the nature of the wicket. If the wicket is flat (the most likely scenario), I would play 5 bowlers - 3 pacers and 2 spinners. We have to win this match to retain the No.1 ranking and playing 5 bowlers gives us better chance of taking 20 wickets. This then would be my team - VS, GG, MV, SRT, VVS, MSD, HS, ZK, SS, PO & IS