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Adelaide Test Pre match and Selection discussion thread

Magneto

By Magneto
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rkt.india Grand Master

rkt.india

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India outplayed in all departments- Gavaskar Will the Test series end on a happy note for India? By happy, I mean a draw. Happier still would be a draw with a first innings lead and happiest would be a win of course. That looks a bit far-fetched at the moment simply because the team have been outplayed in virtually all departments. The Australian media is loving it because nothing gives them greater satisfaction than seeing the noses of the Indian stars being rubbed in the dust. They think that in doing so it is getting one up on the mighty BCCI [board of Control for Cricket in India], who they feel is the root of all evil in the game. It is just like in football where British players are the envy of the world for the riches that they earn in the Premier League, though it is debatable whether it is even the best in the world when compared to Spain and Italy. However, the Brits are terrific at promoting their own and the rest of the world, apart from the Americans, just laps it up. The British believe Lord's is the greatest ground in the world, Wimbledon is the greatest tennis tournament in the world, the British Open is the best golf event in the world, Silverstone is the best motor racing track in the world and Wembley is the best football ground in the world. All these venues are also referred to as the homes of those sports. What is without doubt the best in the world is their sense of humour, and their ability to laugh at themselves. Hard to beat They may well need plenty of that as they take on Pakistan in the Test and one-day series that has started in the UAE because on those pitches Pakistan will be hard to beat unless they are in self-destruct mode. The Pakistanis have played there before so know the conditions very well and they will get good support from the expat population, especially in the limited overs matches. India also have good support wherever they play, but that may be dwindling after the manner in which they have crumbled in Australia. Not many apart from the diehard fan and the gamblers are now waking up at five in the morning to see what the team has done. If anything the time difference has meant that many an Indian fan's day has been spoilt by what he has seen down under. The interest in the last Test at Adelaide will be centred around any changes in the team. There has been one forced change, with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni suspended for a slow over rate. Indian bowlers do take their time to bowl and the presence of a spinner often helps the over rate. With India going in with a four man seam attack at Perth, the over rate was always going to be even slower and it was no wonder that the team fell behind and left the captain in the position he finds himself in. Not an issue In India with two spinners playing the over rate is seldom an issue, but overseas the team struggle, especially when things are not going their way. There is a lethargy that seems to develop which makes even crossing between overs slow and that does not help at all. So will there be a change in the playing XI apart from Dhoni? Yes, Ashwin will be back in place of Vinay Kumar. Vinay Kumar's selection ahead of Abhimanyu Mithun is typical of India. When Praveen Kumar was rendered unfit to tour, Abhimanyu Mithun was picked and it was only when Varun Aaron was ruled out that Vinay Kumar got a look in. So if he was picked after Mithun how does he play ahead of him? This is not the first time the tour selection committee has picked a replacement player before one of the original touring party members. All it shows is the team management did not agree with the choice of Mithun in the first place and so when they got the chance they showed their disapproval by picking the person they wanted in the team. Indian cricket fans are hoping that the best batting pitch in Australia will help turn things around and allow the team to return with a semblance of pride after what has been a tour of high hopes and even greater disappointment. http://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/india-outplayed-in-all-departments-1.969037

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Crookbond Newbie

Crookbond

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Typical Adelaide track might give India respite http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-india-2011/content/current/story/550241.html

The Adelaide Oval might provide the under-the-pump Indian batting line-up some respite with a typical Adelaide pitch, which is usually good for batting without monsters in it. Four days before the start of the Test, the strip - same as the one used in the Ashes Test that Australia lost on the fifth day - sports an even covering of grass, but it seems dry. More hot days are forecast in the lead-up to the Test, and Adelaide is scorching in the mid-to-late 30s right now. "The heat will definitely dry the pitch out and it's reasonably dry already," Damien Hough, the Adelaide Oval curator, said. "There'll be a little in it on day one, but Adelaide Oval traditionally is a good batting pitch with a bit of spin on days three, four and five. It will always produce spin later on as the game goes. Normally there will be a little bit of inconsistent bounce on days four and five, so I wouldn't expect anything else." Hough, though, said the pitch did look greener this year that was because he wanted good carry, and also guard against the dry and hot week in the lead-up to the Test. "We're trying to get a pitch with as much bounce and carry as we can possibly get," he said. "We want something that will settle down well for the batters on days two and three, and variable bounce on days four and five, and something in there for the spinners." Hough said that didn't have anything to do with early finishes to the previous Tests and the pressure to take the Test into the fifth day. "I have had no such communication," Hough said. "I'm just here to produce a sporting pitch. I'll leave it up to the teams to fight that out." For all of Adelaide's reputation of being a batsman's paradise, only three Tests have been drawn here since 1990-91. A part of it has to be down to the Australian domination for a majority of this period. The rest, Hough said, could have something to do with the seam movement when the pitch is fresh on day one, and variable bounce towards the end of the match, which has led to many a third-innings collapse. India's only win here came thanks to a third-innings collapse.
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Dravid_TheWall Newbie

Dravid_TheWall

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Disagree with him on what he says about choosing VK over Mithun. Just because Mithun was in the original team doesn't mean he is next in line before VK. You have to assess the pitch and decide who would do better. I would have gone for Mithun as he can get more bounce at WACA but they went for VK as thought his accuracy might help, so I don't agree with gavasker's observation. But anyway, both are substandard and pile of **** but this was me just being pedantic.

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The Dark Horse Newbie

The Dark Horse

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Youngsters must earn national cap Sunil Gavaskar, Agencies November 07, 2009 First Published: 23:29 IST(7/11/2009) Last Updated: 23:33 IST(7/11/2009) India will have to make a huge mental effort to overcome their second close defeat in the series if they are hoping to win the remaining two games and with it the series as well. However, they will have to wait a while to be the No. 1 after they missed out on a splendid chance in Mohali. And, if they lose this series and still go on to be No. 1 later because of the number of ODIs they are playing, they will know that they don't quite deserve to be there because they lost to the team that mattered. It is with this in view that India need to approach the next two matches. That a depleted Australian team is giving them such a hard time reflects not only on the standard of the domestic structures in the two countries but also on the policies of the two countries. If one takes a look at the replacements that have come in for those regular Australian players, one will notice that all those who have flown in at short notice are players who have been playing domestic cricket for a few years and have got the national call-up after that. They, therefore, have played more than a few tough games and so are better prepared to take that next step to the international level. Here, one is not talking about the quality of cricket because that is debatable. Like the Indians, the Australian Test and international players also hardly get to play in the domestic circuit because of the busy international schedule, so it's not as if the quality is top class. It is the competitive element that is fiercer and that prepares the Australians to cope with tough situations better than most others in the world. Australia, like India plays in the ICC under-19 World Cup but how many of its U-19 players get called up to play for the country based on their junior performances? They have to go through the grind of first-class cricket and perform at that level before they get a whiff of the Australian cap. Mike Hussey had to score and score for years before he got a chance to play in the national team. He brings all that experience with him. India, on the other hand, is generous while handing out its national caps and because of the obsession with youth those who haven’t had a full season of first-class cricket get the cap without actually earning it. By all means encourage the youth but only after he has delivered at the first-class level and not in some junior event.

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Number Grand Master

Number

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It was almost over for him if didn't perform here. Even though he wasn't doing really bad before that too. But he batted well in this series. Bailed Aussies out from a critical position at MCG. Good fielder as well , not a miserable liability. To take his place one will have to work hard.

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Dravid_TheWall Newbie

Dravid_TheWall

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MY TEAM IN ORDER: Viru (captain) Dravid (wicketkeeper) Rohit SRT Gauti Lax Kohli Ashwin ZK Yadav Ojha This is our best bet of avoiding 2nd whitewash in a row. 7 batsmen and reshuffle of order. Viru must open on this good batting track, he can set tempo. Dravid will help stabilise and give us a solid platform. Plus two spinners. Rohit will have freedom to express himself at 3 and he is very talented, he will less pressure as we are 3-0 down. If he comes in at 5, we might be 40-4 and then he can't do much. Ishant/VK/Mithun are all as useless as each other. God I hope I don't see all 3 of those playing, just typing their names together frightens me!

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