Team for the final (if we get there)

[Crookbond]

I would play Sharma for Yusuf Pathan and Vinay Kumar for Praveen Kumar.

[Cricket Tragic]

I would play Sharma for Yusuf Pathan and Vinay Kumar for Praveen Kumar.

Same here but that won't happen. Yuseless will be in the 11.

[Crookbond]

Same here but that won't happen. Yuseless will be in the 11.

I meant Rahul Sharma for Yusuf, just to clarify. Glad to know someone thinks alike.

[1983-2011]

same as OP Tendulkar Gambhir Kohli Rohit Raina Dhoni Yusuf Irfan Ashwin Vinay Rahul Sharma

[1983-2011]

open the bowling with ashwin and irfan pathan

[Utalk]

I would like to bring in sarfraz for Wahab and Rehman for cheema. Bat Afridi at 3 as a pinch hitter because he killed all the momentum yesterday. May be he can serve better with his blind swings with newish ball. Hafeez Jamshed Afridi Misbah Umar YK Hammad Sarfraz Gul Rehman Ajmal.

[Sehwag1830]

^^^^^only 1 pacer ?

[Vijy]

I guess he means that they should open with Hafeez, and then bring on Rehman. Or maybe Azam. Sounds like an interesting tactic...

[zen]

Ten GG Kohli Dhoni (moves up to 4) Raina YP / Rohit IP Ashwin Rahul VK / PK Dinda

[Utalk]

Yes open with Hafeez and Gul and bring rehman first change. I can't see cheema troubling Ind at all.

[zen]

If Ind plays the final, I hope an Ind bowler gets a 5-for

[J P K]

finally icfers have realized the worth of vinay kumar :woot:

[adi B]

if we get there sachin gambo kohli rohit raina dhobi irfan ashwin rahul vinee dinda although i say drop kohli to make it more even contest :protest:

[akshayxyz]

No one dropping choker? what the world has come to :hmmm:

[Ultimate_Game]

Given the fragile form of the pacers' date= don't think MSD will risk going in with just 2 seamers. One of them has a bad game (which mst certainly will happen) and that would mean spinners bowling 35-36 overs! Given the way our batting has performed and with the top 6 looking in ominous touch, I would say drop Yusuf Pathan and pick Rahul Sharma. Bowling is our weakness and we should not go with just 4 bowlers. Sachin, Gambhir, Kohli, Rohit, Raina, MSD, Irfan, Ashwin, Rahul, Dinda, Vinay (if fit)/PK

I say all the more reason to drop a pacer and go with Rahul Sharma. We were lucky in the game against Pakis as lenty of full-tosses from our so-called pacers went unpunished. Every over there were at least 2-3 full-tosses from our trundlers and most of them were hit only for a single. You can't expect the same to happen everytme or in the final. In a winner-takes-all clash let's go with our best bowlers than to simply play pacers to make up the numbers.

[Ultimate_Game]

I would like to bring in sarfraz for Wahab and Rehman for cheema. Bat Afridi at 3 as a pinch hitter because he killed all the momentum yesterday. May be he can serve better with his blind swings with newish ball. Hafeez Jamshed Afridi Misbah Umar YK Hammad Sarfraz Gul Rehman Ajmal.

Afridi at 3 is a huge risk IMO. Even in the best of days Afridi is a one in 10 innings sort of player and these days, with age clearly slowing him down and affecting his performances he's more likely to fail than not. Paki openers had a great game last time round but I don' expect them to have a similar innings in the final, and in case an early wkt falls Afridi may follow soon after leavin Pakistan in a big hole with 2 early wkts down. Don't see Pak batting order coming back from that. Pak's best bet is to hope Afridi fires down the order but I would seriously reconsider his place in the team post Asia Cup. He hardly brings anything to the table against top sides - his bowling is that of a part-timer and we all know what he does with the bat. Pak would be well advised to blood a youngster in place of him who will be ready come 2015 WC coz Afridi won't help you much there. Other than that the bowling seems a bit short in your team and I may consider dropping Afridi to get a specialist bowler (pacer) in. You can't go with just 1 pacer in a final and when that pacer is Gul who doesn't do that well against india (if India indeed reaches the final coz against B'desh it's a moot point).

[Magneto]

Replace Praveen with the legend and we are all set. No point playing Rahul Sharma since Rohit, Raina, Yousuf, Ashwin will bowl anyway.

[Ultimate_Game]

Replace Praveen with the legend and we are all set. No point playing Rahul Sharma since Rohit, Raina, Yousuf, Ashwin will bowl anyway.

You are doing Rahul Sharma a huge disservice by comparing him to Rohit, Raina & Yousuf. Rahul is way ahead and he has shown that it's tough to take him on without losing wkts. He would be ideal for us in middle overs along with Ashwin and for a change will put pressure on batsmen which we haven't done in the recent past.

[Old guy]

if rahul sharma plays we will restrict other teams under 300 and our selfish batsmen wont get limelight its kaanspiracy :headshake:

[Magneto]

You are doing Rahul Sharma a huge disservice by comparing him to Rohit' date=' Raina & Yousuf. Rahul is way ahead and he has shown that it's tough to take him on without losing wkts. He would be ideal for us in middle overs along with Ashwin and for a change will put pressure on batsmen which we haven't done in the recent past.[/quote'] Rahul Sharma might get carted here in these pattas. He doesn't turn the ball much anyway and he'll get hardly any bounce as well. No point not playing him throughout and finally drafting him in the all-important finals.