2nd test at Sydney; Pre-match and Review thread

[Malcolm Merlyn]

If its a green pitch,it will be fun.Same team.Let the fun begin.

[Asoka]

what u call circus ..T20...lot of us like that..

T20 can suck my balls.Long live test cricket.

[cowboysfan]

If its a green pitch' date='it will be fun.Same team.Let the fun begin.[/quote'] "fun" is all relative.I am hoping for another durban repeat but i am not holding my breath,game can over in 3 days.

[Haarkarjeetgaye]

Unless BCCI does some fixing like threatening to pull out, this series is 4-0

[fineleg]

what is circus.. Give respect

Respect for what? That piece of crap garbage called T20/IPL is a contributing factor for decline in quality of upcoming batsmen - where are new Test level younger batsmen in India? We now have cowlasher-quality younger batsmen :facepalm:

[Old guy]

lol at 4-0 lmfao this series would be close we will win at sydney there were some positives from this game its not like australia dominated we just lost at crucial times it happens get over it people australia played better they won... in england we were dominated ..bowling never troubled,batting never looked like clicking i still trust our batting but i would liike to see some changes if they are gonna play kohli play him higher in the order he clearly cant hande this much pressure right ow some one like dravid on other side owuld help him a lot

[Old guy]

Respect for what? That piece of crap garbage called T20/IPL is a contributing factor for decline in quality of upcoming batsmen - where are new Test level younger batsmen in India?

wont blame t 20.. and its too early to start panicking big deal it wont be worse then this.. (not crossing 300 outside sub continent in long time )

[fineleg]

wont blame t 20.. and its too early to start panicking big deal it wont be worse then this.. (not crossing 300 outside sub continent in long time )

It is one of the reasons. The negative effect of the IP/T20 on quality of next generation Indian* batsmen will become more apparent as the days go by. *since thats what I'm concerned with (even though quality of overall worldwide may decline as well)

[Old guy]

It is one of the reasons. The negative effect of the IP/T20 on quality of next generation Indian* batsmen will become more apparent as the days go by. *since thats what I'm concerned with (even though quality of overall worldwide may decline as well)

maybe some batsmen like vijay did became worse after playing ipl but most of these guys really didn't change anything in there technique or anything ya they more shots but thats one thing ... if u r blaming t20 i will blame odis for gambhir's form.. its just the way u look at it other formats will always effect test cricket i think india will do well in batting department its just matter of experince and time.. kohli and rohit might fail this time in australia but they will learn even dravid failed first time in australia right / they just need to learn quickly i think rohit toured australia beforei n odis and he will perform..

[Old guy]

dravids stats 3 6 0 93 35 15.50 368 25.27 so i will say keep hope we have some tanted players most of them have right attitude for test rahane,pujara,mukund and roht every one is saying he improved this aspect so lets hope for the best we can see the talent in likes of rohit and rahane.. and solidity in pujara wht im worried ab more is all of these young guys would ve to develop on there own after ig 3 retire at once (which is likely)

[SachDan]

Ganguly: Sachin ready to strike but India's overseas form a worry THERE was lot of talk before the start of the series about how big it will be for the Australian summer, the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and V. V. S. Laxman coming Down Under - excepting Sehwag, probably for the last time - to take on the young Aussie pace bowlers. To me, the hype and the excitement is quite justified. Tendulkar has always been very highly rated in this part of the world - one can say everywhere -but I just get a feeling that when one comes to this country the excitement with him has been just that more every time and, to be honest, his batting just goes one notch higher on the hard, bouncy pitches. It's a combination of a whole lot of things - his sheer talent is the first thing which comes to one's mind. But also, over the years, his game has stood up every time it has been challenged. The perfect examples were his two hundreds last winter in South Africa. There were questions asked about the ageing Indian batting: whether they could stand up on the pitches in South Africa - which, to me, had as much pace as Australian pitches but just seamed around a bit more then they did here. The little champion stood tall in those conditions. It was probably the best he batted in that part of the world in his career. Today, when I sit down to write this piece after the end of the Boxing Day Test, I just get a feeling that the little man is at the top of his game here as well. There has been a massive expectation of his hundredth century every time he has walked out to bat for the past six months in any part of the world and he has looked completely unfazed with that expectation - which has been very similar to the expectations of a nation over a decade expecting him to win cricket matches every time he has walked out in the middle. The only criticism one can have is that he hasn't gone on to make a major match-winning contribution in his past five Tests overseas. He has looked very solid at the MCG on a pitch which had a fair bit of help for the quicks. His feet have moved superbly, which is an indication that his mind is thinking the right way and I can guarantee you that if he keeps batting like this he will make a major impact on the remaining three Tests and probably get past that magic landmark in this country. He plays on his favourite ground, the SCG, next week and we will have all our fingers crossed when he walks out to bat. The rest of the Indian batting will have its work cut out in this series. Sehwag has been patchy in the first Test - and probably in his few tours overseas in the past couple of years - and although he can be very dangerous when he gets going, he will have to buckle down a bit and tighten his game early in his innings. The Kookaburra ball does a bit in the first 20 overs until the seam settles down and he will have to play an important role of not only just scoring runs, but also getting that ball old for the middle order to come and not get exposed to the new cherry all the time. Along with him, the key man would be Dravid. He has been in terrific form this year, his three hundreds on the tour of England were absolutely special in a team that struggled to get to 300 in eight innings of that series. He got a 60 in the first innings at the MCG, but knowing the perfectionist he has been, he will not be happy with the ball hitting the timber three times in a Test match. In the past he has stood up when required and I'm sure he will work hard in the nets to get that sorted. I've got a feeling he played down the wrong line in all the occasions and this is something that can be sorted soon. Laxman will be another key man going into the second Test on his favourite venue and India will be looking forward for a big performance from him as well. Among all the positivity and quality this Indian batting possesses, I just have a feeling that the performance of the team in the its past five Tests overseas could be a worrying factor to them. They have lost all five of the Tests and in most cases the batting has let them down. They have not crossed 300 runs in their past 10 Test innings and that's an area of concern. The weak areas have been the No. 6 and 7 slots. The batsmen at that number, along with Laxman, have not made major contributions and every time the top order has fallen it hasn't taken teams to knock off the lower order. The form of skipper M. S. Dhoni is crucial to the team. When he plays well he captains the side better and in these conditions that number in the batting line-up is so important as that is the scoring time in the game. All his Test hundreds have been in the subcontinent, but I can't find a reason why he is not scoring in these conditions. We agree that the wickets do a bit more, but he has the ability and grit to change his game, which, surprisingly, has not been on show yet in his career overseas. As we move towards the Sydney Test I'm sure we will get a better performance from the Indian batting and the team, but the loss of five games in a row overseas is a worry. http://m.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/tendulkar-ready-to-strike-20111230-1pfnn.html

[akshayxyz]

THERE was lot of talk before the start of the series about how big it will be for the Australian summer, the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and V. V. S. Laxman coming Down Under - excepting Sehwag, probably for the last time - to take on the young Aussie pace bowlers. To me, the hype and the excitement is quite justified. Tendulkar has always been very highly rated in this part of the world - one can say everywhere -but I just get a feeling that when one comes to this country the excitement with him has been just that more every time and, to be honest, his batting just goes one notch higher on the hard, bouncy pitches. http://m.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/tendulkar-ready-to-strike-20111230-1pfnn.html

How dare he say that. :hitler:.. does he have any idea about antilog(sqrt(1.65 *RPT * 2nd and a half innings performance)).. against beshtest and fastest and fairest and loveliest bowlers of last 15.86 years? On serious note - since it is coming out of Ganguly's mouth, should we take it as a positive sign, or a panauti :nervous:

[Deleted_User_1]

Gavaskar has given up on the Aussie series! When my idol gives up hope, why blame me for being negative?? __________________________________________________________ India's chances in Australia over: Gavaskar Press Trust Of India Melbourne: The ongoing rubber against Australia was seen as India's best chance of winning a series Down Under, but former captain Sunil Gavaskar on Friday said that the vistiors should forget about such a possibility after the humiliating loss in the first Test here. India witnessed yet another poor start to an overseas tour after their famed batting line-up flopped to succumb to an embarrasing 122-run loss against Australia in the series opener on Thursday. Asked whether the defeat has virtually ended India's chances of winning the four-match series, Gavaskar responded in the affirmative. "Yes, I think so (about India not winning the series). I will be happy to be proven wrong but I don't see that happening," he told a news channel. "In both the innings here we failed to cross the 300-run mark, especially in the second innings here the pitch was good for batting. In England we managed to reach 300 only once despite our bastmen having 30,000-40,000 runs behind them. The alarm bells are ringing very loudly," the legendary batsman added. Mahendra Singh Dhoni might be facing criticism from all quarters for his defensive captaincy off late, but Gavaskar extended some support to the beleaguered India skipper. "Captains need help because they are under pressure everytime. They need help from the vice-captain and I don't think Dhoni is getting that help," Gavaskar said. "(I feel) everybody is in their own cocoon (in the Indian team) and that's where Dhoni needs to have more interaction (with the players)." _________________________________________________________ http://cricketnext.in.com/news/indias-chances-in-australia-over-gavaskar/62700-13.html

[saneindian]

Is Gavaskar hinting at discord in the team? | Gives up on Aussie series

" Captains need help because they are under pressure everytime. They need help from the vice-captain and I don`t think Dhoni is getting that help," Gavaskar said. "(I feel) everybody is in their own cocoon (in the Indian team) and that`s where Dhoni needs to have more interaction (with the players)." http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/india-s-chances-of-winning-australia-series-over-gavaskar_734680.html Is SMG trying to say MSD is not getting the support from the team? or is he saying MSD doesn't do enough to take everyone along? Is he hinting at some issues between MSD and Viru who is the vice captain for this tour? Is he referring to RD, VVS,Viru, Gauti when he says everybody is in their cocoon? The only two guys who look active when we field are Sachin and Zaheer. I know its easy to look into conspiracy theories and discord in the team when a team is not doing well. But surely, SMG who has watched them so closely will not say such things without having observed these while covering those games. Your thoughts?

[bulbul]

Dhoni and Viru had issues earlier also..dont ask links :winky: i dount Rahul and VVS will involve any such politics..they may keep out i dont know whether what Sunny says is true... he have a recent fallout with BCCI Last time heard such kanspiracy theory is 2007 WC

[Deleted_User_1]

http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/india-s-chances-of-winning-australia-series-over-gavaskar_734680.html Is SMG trying to say MSD is not getting the support from the team? or is he saying MSD doesn't do enough to take everyone along? Is he hinting at some issues between MSD and Viru who is the vice captain for this tour? Is he referring to RD, VVS,Viru, Gauti when he says everybody is in their cocoon? The only two guys who look active when we field are Sachin and Zaheer. I know its easy to look into conspiracy theories and discord in the team when a team is not doing well. But surely, SMG who has watched them so closely will not say such things without having observed these while covering those games. Your thoughts?

Lots of egos in this Indian team!!!!

[Needforspeed]

If Gavaskar has been quoted correctly, definitely he is hinting at some issues within the team. Whether Gavaskar is reading the situation correctly-we cannot say. Some amount of conflict is inevitable with so many seniors in the squad. Dhoni too is a guy with strong opinions and doesn't seem to be the type to listen to others. Plus his own test batting has been poor.

[Old guy]

i think now we will win it :P good motivation lmao

[SachDan]

If Sunny was commentating for ESS, I'm sure he wouldn't have been this quick to write off team's chances.

[master22]

Gavaskar is indirectly having a go at viru