SCG will be grassy pitch and not the traditional turning track

[peterparker]

yes. bowlers bowled too short. zaheer was also not at best in first day. also ishant should pitch it up.

he never pitches it up..going the srinath's way

[kabira]

But they are always better batsmen of b=genuine fast bowling playing on fast and bouncy surfaces than Indians who play on low and slow pitches in India.

yes but they are out of form and not near to their best...we bowled too short in first innings and allowed them to score over 300, should not have scored more than 250 there. Aussie bowlers made same mistake, they bowled too short on 2nd day and allowed us to score 200 for only 3 wickets, its when they started to bowl consistenlty up to stumps, rewards started to come to them. We dearly missed MJ.

[peterparker]

yes..this is the reason that i believe that india might make a come back in the series as their batsman are struggling and their batting line up is fragile right now..and MCG was never a good venue for our batsman but sydney has been and even perth..

[rkt.india]

yes but they are out of form and not near to their best...we bowled too short in first innings and allowed them to score over 300, should not have scored more than 250 there. Aussie bowlers made same mistake, they bowled too short on 2nd day and allowed us to score 200 for only 3 wickets, its when they started to bowl consistenlty up to stumps, rewards started to come to them. We dearly missed MJ.

Then most of our batsmen are out of form...only dravid scored in England...others all flopped.

[bulbul]

Then most of our batsmen are out of form...only dravid scored in England...others all flopped.

even he is not good according to some xPerts...so whole team is totally out of form.. Best batsmen in team are Ashwin and Ishanth

[rkt.india]

even he is not good according to some xPerts...so whole team is totally out of form.. Best batsmen in team are Ashwin and Ishanth

:giggle:

[saneindian]

Curator says he wants a pitch similar to what it was during the Ashes or for the Pakistan test in 2010. Both those tracks were tough to bat on day 1 and then batting became comparatively easier with day 2 and 3 being the best day for batting. Despite the grass on the track, the spinners got into the game midway from the test . Even Pakistan scored 300+ despite a grassy track, England scored 600+ despite all the grass. Can MSD win the toss and put the Aussies in?

[CG]

I can bet my life that the pitch will turn and Turn with bounce on last 2 days,We had similar pitch on last tour where we ran through australian top order on day one but pitch became better on day 2 and 3 then turn ed from 4 and 5,Its the perfect test wicket.

[kabira]

Then most of our batsmen are out of form...only dravid scored in England...others all flopped.

well we had series against Windies, Laxman scored runs Sehwag scored some runs Sachin scored runs Dravid is already in good form according to you so we have 4 out of 6 in decent form.. :--D:--D

[Feed]

Sydney pitch likely to resemble last year's Sydney's 100th Test pitch should offer plenty to the fast bowlers on the first day, as the curator Tom Parker said he wanted to emulate the surfaces prepared for the previous two New Year's matches More... Sydney pitch likely to resemble last year's Daniel Brettig December 30, 2011 Sydney's 100th Test pitch should offer plenty to the fast bowlers on the first day, as the curator Tom Parker said he wanted to emulate the surfaces prepared for the previous two New Year's matches, against England and Pakistan. Each surface was full of life on the first day before settling down and turning later, and Parker said those characteristics epitomised what he has wanted to do with the SCG surface since taking over from Peter Leroy in 1997. Twelve months ago Australia battled to 4 for 134 on a rain-interrupted first day on the way to an innings defeat, while in the first week of 2010 the hosts were bundled out for 127 before recovering to record a dramatic victory over a dysfunctional Pakistan side. "I was happy with that [pitch for the game against England] and I was happy with the previous year's as well [against Pakistan]," Parker told ESPNcricinfo. "The last two years we've really got it together and it has really come up well. I'm hoping to have a pitch somewhat similar to that. "That's the ideal scenario and that's what we're aiming for. I don't see why that won't happen. The weather's been kind to me and the forecast is for hot sunny days in the lead-up to the Test and the first couple of days of the Test, so I don't see why it shouldn't be perfect for us." Parker's expectations will add intrigue to the questions of selection, as Australia mull over the possible inclusion of fast bowler Ryan Harris. Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, has not ruled out the use of four fast bowlers after the quicks did the lion's share of the damage in Melbourne. As it did last year, Sydney has spent much of spring and summer cloaked in heavy cloud and frequent rain, only occasionally enjoying the sort of sunshine Parker would prefer. But in the lead-up to the New Year's Test the forecast has improved, allowing groundstaff to get some sun onto the wicket and outfield. "There's been a lot of rain around but we have the covers on as well; we've had a lot of matches up to date and it hasn't affected our preparation too much on the centre," Parker said. "The thing that's been a bit of a downfall for us is the overcast conditions more than the rain. "The hours of direct sunlight have been fairly minimal on several days, and that's been a bit of a pain as far as grass growth goes. In saying that, the outfield's in tip-top condition, as is the centre square." The arrival of the centenary Test has coincided with the return of Sydney's more traditional type of pitch, offering help to batsmen, fast bowlers and spinners in equal measure. The often lively surfaces of the 1950s and 60s gave way to slow turners in the 1980s and parts of the 90s, before Parker took on the long-term project of returning the track to its classical attributes. "That's what I've always aimed for. It has always been my goal to produce pitches with an even coverage of grass and pitches that were going to play consistently over the period of the match. We've got that mix pretty well right now. "As long as you're going into the match with great preparation and good grass coverage, nice even moisture throughout the pitch, it usually pays off and the pitch will play consistently. I like to pride myself on the pitches playing consistently without the balls being one up and one down. Over the course of the five days the pitch changes and the pitch should change, but as long as it is consistent I'm pretty happy with that." As for the centenary, Parker is delighted to be preparing pitch No. 100 at the grand old ground. "It is a tremendous honour. Not a day goes by that I don't feel privileged to work here. When you look at the history of the SCG, it is fantastic, and to be a major part of that is a great honour. I'm really looking forward to preparing the 100th Test pitch at the SCG I can assure you."

[Praveen M]

we can give batting pratice for ashwin and ishant.ashwin was a opening batsman for TAMIL NADU under 19 team ...

[Lord]

well we had series against Windies, Laxman scored runs Sehwag scored some runs Sachin scored runs Dravid is already in good form according to you so we have 4 out of 6 in decent form.. :--D:--D

Dhoni,Kohli n Ashwin got runs too if u go by that

[bulbul]

Dhoni' date='Kohli n Ashwin got runs too if u go by that[/quote'] even Yadav made more runs than Lax...

[kabira]

Dhoni' date='Kohli n Ashwin got runs too if u go by that[/quote'] yes sure, go by that as well. I don't have any issues..

[kabira]

so winning toss will be big advantage??

[Serani]

Last year england racked up a huge score, was pretty flat.

[Laaloo]

Last year england racked up a huge score' date=' was pretty flat.[/quote'] It won't matter. Our batsmen won't make more than 300 again. Especially if we keep the same pathetic team. They've been living in denial for a whole year now.

[kabira]

England scored over 600 runs and they were 230 for 5 or something...LOL... our batting has to step up if we want to win..bowlers will do the job.

[kabira]

Last year england racked up a huge score' date=' was pretty flat.[/quote'] It had something for bowlers althroughout, just need to hit right areas which Australian could not...also they had MJ. :omg::omg: and Beer :omg::omg::omg: Lucky England...:--D:--D

[Chandan]

England scored over 600 runs and they were 230 for 5 or something...LOL... our batting has to step up if we want to win..bowlers will do the job.

This is last year's match's score: http://www.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2010-11/engine/match/428753.html If it is anything similar to last year's then India HAS to avoid batting first. I have no faith in this batting line up any more where Gambhir is out of form, Sehwag will hardly ever succeed on a green track and Laxman is too inconsistent these days. After them you just can't count on anyone. VK and Dhoni are FTBs and lower order might give you 20-30 runs maximum. So? Our only hope is bowling. I know how ironic it sounds but thats it. And we have to back it up by taking all the catches for heavens sake!! Or else even this test is gone!!