Preparation for a challenging tour like SA

[DomainK]

Good decision. Hopefully we will sweep that series as well.

[ravishingravi]

This is unlike BCCI. I am impressed. I am sure players have pushed them.

[SachDan]

Good decision. Hopefully we will sweep that series as well.

2-1 or even 1-0 will do nicely.

[gaurav92]

They have to listen to this man. Surely players have pushed them to take this call

[RamP]

This is great news. :yay: now lets guess who will goto south africa early. my picks are dravid laxman sachin vijay pujara (if picked) ojha zak bajji dhoni mishra sreesanth ishant thats almost a 11. Why dont BCCI also request for a 4 day game for this group against a local team?

[cowboysfan]

we can send our first test team 11 to SA and still white wash the kiwis .ideally the team should play a 3 day game atleast before the tests.

[siddhu]

Excellent initiative. Really happy about it.:yay::yay:

[Shakthi]

Sorry if BCCI send players early who will beat New zealand at odis

[kabira]

Well win the first 3 ODIs and you can send entire Test team there including Raina and Dhoni.

[ViruRulez]

good move by BCCI :aha:

[Karan114]

Well win the first 3 ODIs and you can send entire Test team there including Raina and Dhoni.

Personally, I would replace Dhoni with Karthik for the NZ ODIs. Raina will have to stay as captain then, though. Murali Vijay can be replaced by Mukund or Rahane (Vijay is not great at ODIs so makes no difference). That way we can get the full squad of players bar Raina over to SA.

[Chandan]

Can India rest the entire test squad bound for SA, for the 5 ODIs vs NZ? That way they can send the team earlier and even get a 3 day or 4 day match arranged before the series starts. 3rd test with NZ ends on 24th Nov. First test with SA starts from 16th Dec. So we get 22 days, for travel, rest/acclimatisation and practice match. I don't think it should be that big an issue if all the test players are absent from the ODIs. The only issue is how can a team play a practice match in SA and ODI in India at the same time. I think that issue can be resolved too, by naming the team playing practice match in SA as Board President of India XI. But will BCCI agree?

So one of my wish is fulfilled and I have my fingers crossed for the other one! Let us see, which players can be sent to SA right after the third test with NZ: Sehwag Gambhir Dravid Sachin VVS Raina Dhoni Ishant Bhajji Zaheer Sree Ojha Pujara Any fast bowler (Mithun? Pathan?) Out of these only Dhoni and Raina are playing the current ODI series and both of them can be replaced for the 5 ODI series against Kiwis which can be captained by say Yuvraj Singh. What do you say? I think we should excuse even Vijay from the ODIs and give Mukund a chance instead so that Vijay can go to SA early as well.

[fineleg]

But I think BCCI will hold on to Raina and Vijay and Ojha for NZ ODIs. Thats why they are saying "not all players" will be sent. They may even keep Gambhir and Sehwag for NZ ODIs. I have a feeling only the "core" (middle order and Zaheer/Bhajji) will be sent to SA. I too want the entire team to go to SA early. Read my other thread.

[Chandan]

Why? Only Dhoni and Raina are playing the ODI series here. Same can happen in those 5 ODIs too with younger players getting few more chances and older players getting rest. Even Raina can be replaced with Rohit being given last 5 chances before WC and Karthik as reserve keeper for WC. It sounds perfectly okay to me. Team won't be weakened that heavily against Kiwis who were whitewashed by BD.

[fineleg]

I agree with you Chandan, and I want that to happen. Infact, play the India-A team against NZ. Good enough. Just that I think BCCI will want to appear as though "they are not fully giving into Kirsten and team mgmt". So they will keep some naam-ke-waas players from Test squad back in India. I hope they dont do that, but if they do such goofy stuff, then I think the players who wont go to SA are Raina, Gambhir, Ojha, Vijay. Certainly the core SRT, Dravid, Laxman, Dhoni, Zaheer, Bhajji, and perhaps Ishant+SS will go early to SA. Also, we need warmup match in SA. So far, only seems like go early and then drink chai and net practice!

[Sooda]

Ideally we'd have a warm up match yeah, but just going early is a great start. Send the whole 15 or 16, leave an A side to face the kiwis. Vijay, Dhawan, Kohli, Rahane, Yuvraj©, Kartik, Chawla, Ashwin, Kumar, Munaf, Nehra... Jadeja, Tiwary, Umesh That squad should be enough for NZ

[The Dark Horse]

wow great news:dance:

[Chandan]

I agree with you Chandan, and I want that to happen. Infact, play the India-A team against NZ. Good enough. Just that I think BCCI will want to appear as though "they are not fully giving into Kirsten and team mgmt". So they will keep some naam-ke-waas players from Test squad back in India. I hope they dont do that, but if they do such goofy stuff, then I think the players who wont go to SA are Raina, Gambhir, Ojha, Vijay. Certainly the core SRT, Dravid, Laxman, Dhoni, Zaheer, Bhajji, and perhaps Ishant+SS will go early to SA. Also, we need warmup match in SA. So far, only seems like go early and then drink chai and net practice!

Well, let us wait and watch! Though all these perceptions that BCCI agreeing to sent the players early to SA is a victory to Kirsten and such is a meadia created rubbish. BCCI realised the rediculous schedule that it had ealier and is merely trying to rectify things. There is no victory or loss for anyone apart from that in media's imagination. And if BCCI is rectifying things, they'll certainly do it fully. There is hardly any point in taking half measures!! So ..

[Feed]

Players have not spoken to BCCI about skipping NZ ODIs: Dhoni Country's skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today gave a new spin on the issue of some top players skipping the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand in order to prepare for the tougher outing in South Africa, by saying no communication has been sent from the players' side to the Cricket Board. More... Players have not spoken to BCCI about skipping NZ ODIs: Dhoni Press Trust Of India Margao, October 23, 2010 Country's skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday gave a new spin on the issue of some top players skipping the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand in order to prepare for the tougher outing in South Africa, by saying no communication has been sent from the players' side to the Cricket Board. "Not done (written to the Board) anything like that as of now. No confirmation has been sent from the players' side to the BCCI yet and nothing has been received from the BCCI either. This is what I have to say," said Dhoni at the mandatory press conference ahead of tomorrow's third and the final ODI against Australia which is threatened by rains. He was replying to a query on reports quoting BCCI sources that some top players, including Dhoni, will not play the five-match ODI series against New Zealand after the three-Test rubber against the same opponents and, instead, jet off to South Africa to get more acclimatisation time for the Test rubber against the Proteas. India have not won a Test rubber in South Africa and are currently the world's number one Test side. Dhoni said that all these things can be kept on the back burner as the team was looking at tomorrow's clash against Australia which, if the hosts win, would close out the three-match series 2-0 in their favour and provide India with their first ODI series win at home against the formidable opponents in more than two decades. "Tomorrow's game is more important to us right now rather than thinking about what to do after the New Zealand series. As I always say, I don't think too much about the future. After that (ODI series v Australia) what is important is the utilisation of the 4-5 days' break that we have got, then concentrate on the Test series (v NZ). "And after that if we get some time we will see what can be done and what needs to be done," Dhoni said. The India captain conceded that the home team's bowling in the end overs of the 50-over games is not a matter of recent concern but has been bothering them for over the last 18 months. "The last ten overs have always been a big concern for us. It's not a worry we have had (only) over the last 2 or 3 months. We have been bothered by the last ten overs for a long time now - 1 to 1 and 1/2 years. We had done well in between but have not been really consistent. It's still an area where we can definitely improve," Dhoni said.

[mastana]

Thats good news. :aha: