Time to plan for the Aus series...

[Ultimate_Game]

This year there were 3 key events to look fwd to for Indian fans... 1. WC - Won 2. Eng series - Most probably lost 3. Aus series I hope BCCI and team management have learnt something from the kick up their @$$ in the Eng series. It was as if they didn't care about anything after the WC and acted as if they had achieved everything there was to achieve. Hopefully this series will act as a wake up call and force them to plan for the Aussie series later this year. This is India's best chance to beat Aus in Aus coz Aussies are at their weakest and we still have our old-timers (Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman) who most probably will not be around when India tours Aus next. And if we do manage beat Aus in Aus this year will still end up as being a great one.

[Deleted_User_1]

This year there were 3 key events to look fwd to for Indian fans... 1. WC - Won 2. Eng series - Most probably lost 3. Aus series I hope BCCI and team management have learnt something from the kick up their @$$ in the Eng series. It was as if they didn't care about anything after the WC and acted as if they had achieved everything there was to achieve. Hopefully this series will act as a wake up call and force them to plan for the Aussie series later this year. This is India's best chance to beat Aus in Aus coz Aussies are at their weakest and we still have our old-timers (Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman) who most probably will not be around when India tours Aus next. And if we do manage beat Aus in Aus this year will still end up as being a great one.

India can win if they drink Tics' Arsenic!

[Ultimate_Game]

India can win if they drink Tics' Arsenic!

But they still won't be able to win it :winky: Hope they beat Aus in Aus coz losing to both Eng and Aus away would be a major step back for the Test team. If they manage to beat Aus in Aus at least India's record would read W-1, L-1, D-1 away from home against the big 3 (Aus, Eng, SA), which would be lot better than W-0, L-2, D-1.

[StatsRock]

I was checking the itinerary and the dates for the tests are up. I hope the tour game schedules will be worked out soon. Last time we went there, we played 1 tour game, went to Melbourne and were pulped in 3 days. I hope the BCCI scum try to squeeze in some practice games this time round.

[Sidhoni]

Nice thread.This series should be like the SA match in the WC, which was a wake-up call, and we had gone on to win the WC.

[The Realist]

I was checking the itinerary and the dates for the tests are up. I hope the tour game schedules will be worked out soon. Last time we went there' date=' we played 1 tour game, went to Melbourne and were pulped in 3 days. I hope the BCCI scum try to squeeze in some practice games this time round.[/quote'] At the moment there is only 1 mini tour game planned and then its straight into the tests and the inevitable first test loss :facepalm:

[Serani]

Aus are **** so dont worry.

[Ultimate_Game]

Nice thread.This series should be like the SA match in the WC' date=' which was a wake-up call, and we had gone on to win the WC.[/quote'] In the larger context that's how I am taking it coz this is the best opportunity we will get to beat Aus in Aus. It's not just about the team but about history as well. India, or any sub-continent team, has never beaten Aus in Aus and sometimes shaking off the history and all the baggage that comes along with it is as important a factor as the quality of the team. For me the two biggest achievements after winning WCs would be series wins in Aus and SA coz we have never done it.

[msb1991]

What lessons have been learnt from this series. We have learnt that Harbhajan Singh is in extremely poor form, perhaps on the downward spiral in Test cricket. It is not enough to remove him from the first choice line up, because of his batting ability, but means we need a spin bowler who can bat to occupy a spot in the squad. Amit Mishra is a possible option, but he bowled poorly against West Indies and was flattered by West Indies poor ability against spin and a good deal of lower order wickets. He has started awfully against England too. Therefore, I think R Ashwin should get an opportunity in the squad. Ashwin is also a valuable option because England have showed the immense value of a long tail. We have learned that Sreesanth is likely not Test standard - he just cannot sustain pressure so he will never have more than isolated successes within a series. So we need a pace bowler to replace him in the squad. My hunch is that Pankaj Singh will be a good choice. He had an exceptional domestic season and his height could cause some issues for the Aussies, as Chris Tremlett's did. Zaheer Khan's lack of fitness means that he is a liability. If he hobbles off again in the first innings, it is likely that a Test is lost because you cannot win a Test with two pace bowlers and one spinner. We need someone to replace him in the squad and I think RP Singh can be that man. He showed great wicket taking potential last time in Australia and has shown prolonged fitness in the last few domestic seasons with steadily improving performances. We have learned that Mukund, Raina and Yuvraj are not Test class batsmen when it comes to batting outside of the subcontinent against good bowling. They have glaring weaknesses that will be exposed in Australian conditions, as they have in England. Therefore, we need a batsman to take a spot in the first choice middle order - Pujara. Rahane should be introduced in the squad in place of Mukund, with Dravid taking the role of reserve opening batsman. Badrinath should take the place of Yuvraj Singh in the squad. So we have a squad of... 1. Virender Sehwag 2. Gautam Gambhir 3. Rahul Dravid 4. Sachin Tendulkar 5. VVS Laxman 6. Cheteswar Pujara 7. MS Dhoni 8. Harbhajan Singh 9. Praveen Kumar 10. Ishant Sharma 11. Munaf Patel 12. R Ashwin 13. Ajinkya Rahane 14. Pankaj Singh 15. S Badrinath 16. RP Singh

[Kumar]

In the larger context that's how I am taking it coz this is the best opportunity we will get to beat Aus in Aus. It's not just about the team but about history as well. India, or any sub-continent team, has never beaten Aus in Aus and sometimes shaking off the history and all the baggage that comes along with it is as important a factor as the quality of the team. For me the two biggest achievements after winning WCs would be series wins in Aus and SA coz we have never done it.

^^ likewise, this series will be a tough one indeed, regardless of what people say such as the team are ****, ponting's out of form for the past few years, the likes of lee, Gilchrist, symonds and hayden have left since the last time we meet with them. Johnson, Watson and tait will still provide a tough experience, not so much of an easy seam attack to bat against! But I do feel, we will be slightly more prepared and realise the significance of this particular test series!

[The Realist]

Tait no longer plays test cricket but playing Aus away will not be easy no matter what state they might be in.

[Ultimate_Game]

If India can regroup and this series acts as a kick up their @$$, this series could be as big a turning point as WC 2007 debacle was. Hopefully BCCI and team management would now know that IPL is not be all and end all - people watch and follow IPL coz the team is doing well at intl level but if we are at bottom internationally who will want to watch them in IPL? I am sure BCCI would have learn a lesson in scheduling & planning for away series (at least the big ones like Aus, SA & Eng), managing workload and managing injuries of the players as well, but I may be asking way too much of BCCI.

[Bradman99]

Tait doesn't even play 50 over matches anymore.

[Cricket Tragic]

Tait no longer plays test cricket but playing Aus away will not be easy no matter what state they might be in.

He doesn't play ODIs either.

[Pagalpanti]

Don't we have a 3 test series with West Indies in between?

[Jayaram_IND]

How many practice matches are there?

[Laaloo]

Don't we have a 3 test series with West Indies in between?

We're going to thrash the mighty Windies 1-0 :cantstop:

[Sooda]

What lessons have been learnt from this series. We have learnt that Harbhajan Singh is in extremely poor form, perhaps on the downward spiral in Test cricket. It is not enough to remove him from the first choice line up, because of his batting ability, but means we need a spin bowler who can bat to occupy a spot in the squad. Amit Mishra is a possible option, but he bowled poorly against West Indies and was flattered by West Indies poor ability against spin and a good deal of lower order wickets. He has started awfully against England too. Therefore, I think R Ashwin should get an opportunity in the squad. Ashwin is also a valuable option because England have showed the immense value of a long tail. We have learned that Sreesanth is likely not Test standard - he just cannot sustain pressure so he will never have more than isolated successes within a series. So we need a pace bowler to replace him in the squad. My hunch is that Pankaj Singh will be a good choice. He had an exceptional domestic season and his height could cause some issues for the Aussies, as Chris Tremlett's did. Zaheer Khan's lack of fitness means that he is a liability. If he hobbles off again in the first innings, it is likely that a Test is lost because you cannot win a Test with two pace bowlers and one spinner. We need someone to replace him in the squad and I think RP Singh can be that man. He showed great wicket taking potential last time in Australia and has shown prolonged fitness in the last few domestic seasons with steadily improving performances. We have learned that Mukund, Raina and Yuvraj are not Test class batsmen when it comes to batting outside of the subcontinent against good bowling. They have glaring weaknesses that will be exposed in Australian conditions, as they have in England. Therefore, we need a batsman to take a spot in the first choice middle order - Pujara. Rahane should be introduced in the squad in place of Mukund, with Dravid taking the role of reserve opening batsman. Badrinath should take the place of Yuvraj Singh in the squad. So we have a squad of... 1. Virender Sehwag 2. Gautam Gambhir 3. Rahul Dravid 4. Sachin Tendulkar 5. VVS Laxman 6. Cheteswar Pujara 7. MS Dhoni 8. Harbhajan Singh 9. Praveen Kumar 10. Ishant Sharma 11. Munaf Patel 12. R Ashwin 13. Ajinkya Rahane 14. Pankaj Singh 15. S Badrinath 16. RP Singh

Id agree with the lessons learnt I think. Yuvraj did do ok in the 1st innings at TBridge- could be hope for him yet. Badrinath? I do not think he is international class sadly. It is very unlikely he will ever play for India again. Mukund on the other hand I do not think was that bad, this has been a serious baptism of fire for him and hopefully he will come out better for it. Youre right though re: Rahane perhaps to open Pankaj has height yes, but from what Ive read nothing like Tremos pace. What he does seem to have is reliability. I would love to think there is still life left in Irfan Pathan and a good FC season might see him in contention- again a bowler who is more than handy with the bat. We do not know what kind of bowling form R P Singh is in, his last two domestic seasons have not been so hot right? The WI series at home should be an op for us to try out some younger cricketers, at least give them international experience if nothing else. Thats how the phasing out should happen. Id suggest a XI of Gambhir, Rahane, Pujara, Sehwag, Kohli, Laxman, Parthiv, Munaf, PK, Ishant, Ojha . Bench of- Mukund, Ashwin, Tyagi- if fit a more potent option than Pankaj maybe, and Dravid Wed need all the big names back for the Aus tour

[Deleted_User_1]

This team is going to bet thrashed by the Aussies.....India is THAT bad. How they sustained a no. 1 ranking baffles me.

[Cricket Tragic]

Learn from the way England prepared for the series. We've got to play atleast 2 warm-up games before the 1st test this time (only 1 scheduled atm). I think that our batting will do fine but the bowling is a major worry. Zaheer is out for 16 weeks which means that he won't play another test before the tour. We really need to find atleast 1 more seamer from somewhere.