Before Australia comes back....

[akshayxyz]

:(, then we will enter the tourney as dark horses.. Sachin, Sehwag, Yuvi - please stay until 2015 and switch to bowling

[Karan114]

Kohli is ready for test cricket but how do you get him in? He should play at 6 in the next test series but Puajara can't be dropped. There are talks of Yuvraj making a comeback again. Hope that it doesn't happen. Kohli should get a chance before Yuvraj. The pther option is to continue with Pujara at 6 (unless he fails badly) and then get Kohli to replace Dravid at 3 or move VVS to 3 and Kohli at 5.

Hopefully they'll take both Pujara and Kohli in the squad to the West Indies. If there is a warm up game before the series (unlikely with the BCCI, I know), then Pujara and Kohli can have a virtual "bat off" in that game. I like Pujara a lot, he has the right mentality for Test cricket, but with just 106 runs in five innings he's not undroppabable, just a talented youngster fighting it out for a spot. Kohli for Dravid is not a bad option, mind you, should Dravid's form continue to worsen (ideally you want to ease players into Test cricket lower than 3, but Kohli has a strong technique and bats there for both India in ODIs and Delhi). They have Vijay as the reserve opener and he also played at 3 when Dravid was injured, but with his predominantly front foot game he's not really a long term Test prospect.

[Cricket Tragic]

Hopefully they'll take both Pujara and Kohli in the squad to the West Indies. If there is a warm up game before the series (unlikely with the BCCI, I know), then Pujara and Kohli can have a virtual "bat off" in that game. I like Pujara a lot, he has the right mentality for Test cricket, but with just 106 runs in five innings he's not undroppabable, just a talented youngster fighting it out for a spot. Kohli for Dravid is not a bad option, mind you, should Dravid's form continue to worsen (ideally you want to ease players into Test cricket lower than 3, but Kohli has a strong technique and bats there for both India in ODIs and Delhi). They have Vijay as the reserve opener and he also played at 3 when Dravid was injured, but with his predominantly front foot game he's not really a long term Test prospect.

Started a thread on this but no reply as yet. Far more interesting to talk about than the boring Ind-Pak "banter". http://www.indiancricketfans.com/showthread.php?t=263723 Not a huge fan of Vijay tbh. His test performances have been decent but he isn't a long-term option overseas. I'd like to pick Mukund/Rahane as the 3rd opener. I agree with starting off at 5 or 6. It's a tough ask to bat at 3 in your first series. After Dravid, you could give VVS his favourite spot at 3 and have Kohli at 5 or 6. If he does well, he can move up to 3 or 4 in a couple of years when both spots will need to be filled.

[Karan114]

Sorry, hadn't seen your thread. Agree with you on Mukund and especially Rahane, who keeps getting ignored despite piling on the runs wherever he was played (and also smashed the Aussies for a hundred prior to the Test series) while his Mumbai teammate Rohit Sharma keeps getting in - despite his only achievement being fattening himself with a diet of beer and parathas... Yeah, VVS at 3 isn't a bad call either. The important thing is that we focus on easing in the young talents rather than going back to Yuvi (awesome limited overs player but just not good enough at Test level) who will be 30 this year anyways.

[rajmarie]

Well...Kohli should not be for Dravid. Pujara is ideally suited for Dravid. He seems to have the right technique also. Also No3 in Test is not suited IMO for Kohli. More as No 5 or 6. IMO..Kohli should wait for his time in Test. Hope Yuvraj & Raina are never considered for Test. Let them enjoy ODI/T20

[youngindia]

When i say exceptional bowlers, i mean bowlers who can average under 25, not achieved by indian bowlers like bedi and kapil. I am talkin about hadlee/mcgrath range. Discussions about existing crop LIKE rps in this Context is meaningless, barring ishant, provided he discovers early promise. tHE BAR HAS TO BE SET HIGHER than the past in indian bowling . that's the point of this thread. As for younger batsmen, ODI/t20 outside Asia has been difficult initially for everyone including sachin. Because you have to dominate in unfamiliar conditions. They can ease better in test cricket in england,nz and WI. SA and australia will be merciless on any first timer. But with time and experience, they will learn it like those before them. it not a long term issue for me.

[Karan114]

Well...Kohli should not be for Dravid. Pujara is ideally suited for Dravid. He seems to have the right technique also. Also No3 in Test is not suited IMO for Kohli. More as No 5 or 6. IMO..Kohli should wait for his time in Test. Hope Yuvraj & Raina are never considered for Test. Let them enjoy ODI/T20

Kohli has a very good technique, and he is an innings builder rather than someone who looks to flay the bowling (hence his problems batting at 6/7 in ODIs). He is perfectly suited to batting at 3 in the long term. I think he should be eased into the Test side at 5 or 6 with a view to batting at 3 eventually.

[rajmarie]

Kohli has a very good technique' date=' and he is an innings builder rather than someone who looks to flay the bowling (hence his problems batting at 6/7 in ODIs). He is perfectly suited to batting at 3 in the long term. I think he should be eased into the Test side at 5 or 6 with a view to batting at 3 eventually.[/quote'] Kohli is more risky player then Pujara...hence Pujara at No3. Kohli will be perfect at No6 in Test or even No5.

[Karan114]

Kohli is more risky player then Pujara...hence Pujara at No3. Kohli will be perfect at No6 in Test or even No5.

Occasionally Kohli does play a completely stupid shot - but you have to remember he is just 22. End of the day, someone averaging 45 with five centuries and thirteen fifties in 49 innings is doing most things right and certainly not batting rashly too often.

[Cricket Tragic]

I know that there has been a great deal of talk about Pujara but for me Kohli>Pujara.

[rajmarie]

Occasionally Kohli does play a completely stupid shot - but you have to remember he is just 22. End of the day' date=' someone averaging 45 with five centuries and thirteen fifties in 49 innings is doing most things right and certainly not batting rashly too often.[/quote'] So Kohli is a great fit for No5 B->

[WC2011INDIA]

So Kohli is a great fit for No5 B->

Kohli prefers No. 4 position.

[Serani]

When i say exceptional bowlers, i mean bowlers who can average under 25, not achieved by indian bowlers like bedi and kapil. I am talkin about hadlee/mcgrath range. Discussions about existing crop LIKE rps in this Context is meaningless, barring ishant, provided he discovers early promise. tHE BAR HAS TO BE SET HIGHER than the past in indian bowling . that's the point of this thread. As for younger batsmen, ODI/t20 outside Asia has been difficult initially for everyone including sachin. Because you have to dominate in unfamiliar conditions. They can ease better in test cricket in england,nz and WI. SA and australia will be merciless on any first timer. But with time and experience, they will learn it like those before them. it not a long term issue for me.

Im sorry but being eased into test cricket in England does not happen, im sure any young player would rather debut on the flat decks of Aus than the seamers of england, just look at last summer no batsman did well bar Trott then they get to Aus and can barely get out.

[satyam1729]

Im sorry but being eased into test cricket in England does not happen' date=' im sure any young player would rather debut on the flat decks of Aus than the seamers of england, just look at last summer no batsman did well bar Trott then they get to Aus and can barely get out.[/quote'] Ganguly and Dravid says hi.

[Serani]

That was when England were ****, look at the conditions last summer in England, some of the most difficult batting conditions I have ever seen, there was a series in Nz for India some years back that was similar.

[Cricket Tragic]

Im sorry but being eased into test cricket in England does not happen' date=' im sure any young player would rather debut on the flat decks of Aus than the seamers of england, just look at last summer no batsman did well bar Trott then they get to Aus and can barely get out.[/quote'] I don't agree with the person you quoted but last summer was an exception in England. For several years (pre Ashes 2009), wickets in London have been absolute roads (both Lord's and the Oval). It's Trent Bridge and Old Trafford that have produced wickets for the bowlers. A look at the number of draws in London and outside London tells the story. Runs in Australia had a lot to do with the Aussie attack as well. It was so poor. You can bet that McGrath and Warne would have done real damage on the same wickets.

[satyam1729]

That was when England were ****' date=' look at the conditions last summer in England, some of the most difficult batting conditions I have ever seen, there was a series in Nz for India some years back that was similar.[/quote'] No way last series was comparable to NZ in 2002. IND batsman have enjoyed batting in ENG more than any other country.

[koksmayu]

hey people first of all, if india want to creat great fast bowlers first they have to make that kind of pitch to suit fast bowlers otherwise it will be same story

[Serani]

I don't agree with the person you quoted but last summer was an exception in England. For several years (pre Ashes 2009), wickets in London have been absolute roads (both Lord's and the Oval). It's Trent Bridge and Old Trafford that have produced wickets for the bowlers. A look at the number of draws in London and outside London tells the story. Runs in Australia had a lot to do with the Aussie attack as well. It was so poor. You can bet that McGrath and Warne would have done real damage on the same wickets.

Trent Bridge, OT, Edgbaston and Headingly always do quite a bit. Trent and Headingly swing a lot, OT has bounce and Edgbaston is a bit uneven and not a great wicket. Yes its true London is always roads and would be good to make a debut at Lords or the Oval but the other grounds in england are generally very difficult to bat on.

[panther]

i dont think austraila are coming back