Can Bhajji play a lead #6 role?

[dial_100]

On the other thread, I was just listing out our batting line up. Truely we are so lucky to have all top 4 batsmen is very good form. While the other two Dhoni and GG have gained some confidence back. With such a dream team, could we skip #6 all together and go for kill in SA? We can try and put lot of pressure on them by having 4 seamers and one spinner. That way, couple of bowlers can put pressure on 1 end while others try to break in. To me it is worth trying. SR or anyone will be under lot of pressure. Top form Sehwag Dravid Sachin VVS Catching up GG Dhoni As it is, Raina has been a walking wicket in last so many tests and we still managed to win matches. With him replaced by Zak, we can put lot of pressure on SA. Sorry guys... I din't mean GG here. I meant Suresh Raina.

[kabira]

No you need cushion of extra batsman in alien conditions. Bhajji is handy but he will always be hit and miss. Proper 6 batsman, WK and 4 bowlers is a way to go and thats what has made us #1 team...so why change.

[dial_100]

No you need cushion of extra batsman in alien conditions. Bhajji is handy but he will always be hit and miss. Proper 6 batsman' date=' WK and 4 bowlers is a way to go and thats what has made us #1 team...so why change.[/quote'] Extra bowling option Kabira. It has always been a burden of taking 20 wickets for us. Why not try for 1-2 test matches.

[Online]

extrapolating batting performances on flat feather-beds in India to success in South African conditions = recipe for disaster. I am aware that while South African pitches are probably not as bouncy as they used to be as evidenced by the IPL matches, I am guessing the pitches would still offer more bounce and pace than any pitch India has played on in recent times.

[dial_100]

Correct but realistically, how many matches we remember where #6 has played big role? Well, that when RD, MSD and GG were completely out of form. Extrapolation?? Current batting form is some not a set data. I am just trying to extract little extra from the batsman so that we could give ourselves some extra bowling option, like a 4th seamer.

[fineleg]

No dial. I'm not in favor of this. Bhajji is not that reliable as #6

[youngindia]

Extra bowling option Kabira. It has always been a burden of taking 20 wickets for us. Why not try for 1-2 test matches.

There is a flaw in your understanding. quantity does not mean quality.In bowling its even more important to stress on penetraive bowlers. one more bowler does not mean more penetration. that 5 bowlers is "more attacking" is a shallow flawed idea some people harbor.won't work now or in the future. and considering that india produces quality batsmen than quality bowlers , its incompetent strategy to deploy your weaker arm more and stronger arm less. and to think that harbhajan can even be a 6 is downright preposterous.he is not good enough to even be a 7. he is technically weak. he is a striker of the ball and occasionaly benefits from that gift. that's what he is and that's what he will be.its foolish to take things beyond that.

[Cricketics]

Gambhir is heading towards a historic record along with his partner Sehwag, in becoming the best ever opening pair in history of test cricket. It will take sometime, but they are on their way. You just can't think of replacing such a player. Infact, it will be insane to play Bhajji as a regular bat with Gambhir sitting out. Not on..

[Ranjha]

No yet. If Bhajji bats well in SA, then maybe for future...For now, Gambhir must play.

[Ram]

At the end of the day, there's only so much a tail-ender/bowling all-rounder can do. Non-specialist batsmen/tail-ender are notorious for their patience threshold, which is significantly lower than their batting counter-parts. Its not like someone like say Raina is any more of a gifted stroke-maker than Bhajji is, but Raina thinks like a batsmen, while Bhajji doesnt. This makes them vulnerable to a lot of bad shot selection.

[Sid]

Sorry but he needs to do the lead bowlers role well and that would be fine with me

[cowboysfan]

Bhajji will be more miss than hit as a batsman in Sa.however his bowling is going to surprise many here.

[vamos_rafa]

i dnt think bhajji is reliable enough to be given this burden. IT's one thing scoring when no one is expecting of you and another thing when you are actually pressurized to do so. And remember Bhajji had hit a very bad patch with the bat recently. It's only against NZ that he has redeemed his batting a bit. And that was a time when we expected him to do well with the bat in tests specially after his exploits in Austraila and then at home against them in 2008. He is not that reliable with the bat and is too important a bowler( though recently his form has been up and down) to be lost this way. Infact personally i prefer Zak for his batting than bhajji. Though Zak has also gone in the bhajji now in terms of mindless slogging but throughout his career he has always put a tag on his wicket and play the big shots. But more importantly he is able to sense the situation and play accordingly.

[ZodiaC]

Hit or miss, can't rely on him with the bat, he's no Irfan with the bat. So no.

[vamos_rafa]

Hit or miss' date=' can't rely on him with the bat, he's no Irfan with the bat. So no.[/quote'] Just pray that he does not become an Irfan with the ball.

[King Tendulkar]

No dont be silly. Number 8 is highest he can go

[dial_100]

Gambhir is heading towards a historic record along with his partner Sehwag, in becoming the best ever opening pair in history of test cricket. It will take sometime, but they are on their way. You just can't think of replacing such a player. Infact, it will be insane to play Bhajji as a regular bat with Gambhir sitting out. Not on..

Why would I sit GG out man. I was mere saying that our #6 is a walking wicket. Bhajji in that position for SA series will take off a pressure of him and regular 4 bowlers can be used apart from himself.

[dial_100]

At the end of the day' date=' there's only so much a tail-ender/bowling all-rounder can do. Non-specialist batsmen/tail-ender are notorious for their patience threshold, which is significantly lower than their batting counter-parts. Its not like someone like say Raina is any more of a gifted stroke-maker than Bhajji is, but Raina thinks like a batsmen, while Bhajji doesnt. This makes them vulnerable to a lot of bad shot selection.[/quote'] That precisely was my thinking behind having only 6 batsmen and 5 bowlers. Treat Bhajji as our 6 down. I think on #6 I expect lot more than what Raina has to offer. I need #6 only when chips are down. In these situations, Raina present himself, mere as a test version of T-20 player. That does not serve the purpose of that position. At worse, bhajji can fill-in that position just of this series, giving us extra bowling option.

[Ram]

That precisely was my thinking behind having only 6 batsmen and 5 bowlers. Treat Bhajji as our 6 down. I think on #6 I expect lot more than what Raina has to offer. I need #6 only when chips are down. In these situations' date=' Raina present himself, mere as a test version of T-20 player. That does not serve the purpose of that position. At worse, bhajji can fill-in that position just of this series, giving us extra bowling option.[/quote'] It doesn’t work that way. Its important that we don’t get too dazzled by Bhajji’s strokeplay on frankly, some of the flattest pitches you will encounter anywhere in the world. At the end of the day, he’s a bowler with batting abilities. You cannot trust him with with the all important no.6 position.

[hari504504]

Just pray that he does not become an Irfan with the ball.

he is not an Irfan with the bat either...Pathan is way above him in terms of batting ability