No 2 Here We Come

[Cricketics]

Heights of optimism have no bound.:hatsoff:

Pujara/Kohli yes. SRT's old but let's see. His troubles are against spin. Has looked OK against pace. Dhoni will succeed in only one innings. Hopefully that innings is a crucial one. The other 3 batsmen (openers) + 7 are important. You don't need all the batsmen to do well throughout a series. 3-4 is enough with contributions from the others for at least one match. Plus 2 bowlers should average below 30 with similar contributions from the other bowlers for at least a match. That's enough. Our last tour in SA was like that.

As I have said int he past. In South Africa, one needs to be consistent at putting on around 250+ Even if you are not able to scor 350 every inning, you should have the batting line up which isn't getting bowled out every 2nd inning around 150. Now most of the tourist sturgle there when they are put into bat and are bowled out around 170ish and south africa take a lead of 150 and take over the game. A 275 plus will be regularly handy at every venue. and Pujara, Kohli, Tendulkar, Dhoni in the middle would definitely add atleast 150 between them. So if the rest can manage around 100 every inning, we are in for a cracker of a test series. Now one of these middle order bats are bound to score a ton over there which will defnitely give us an occasional 325+ score and that is where we will need our bowlers to step up too.

[putrevus]

Dhoni doing well in SA is fantasy, all anyone needs to see Mohali's innings of Dhoni ,he was looking like a cat on a hot tin roof, He got in to face second new ball and lasted three balls. His hope is he plays an attacking knock and it comes off for brisk 30 or 40.

[Number]

Dhoni doing well in SA is fantasy, all anyone needs to see Mohali's innings of Dhoni ,he was looking like a cat on a hot tin roof, He got in to face second new ball and lasted three balls. His hope is he plays an attacking knock and it comes off for brisk 30 or 40.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Lk1Fc8mnSw]MS Dhoni 90 vs South Africa 1st Test 2010-11 HD - YouTube[/ame]

[putrevus]

MS Dhoni 90 vs South Africa 1st Test 2010-11 HD - YouTube

84.3 83.9 mph, It's the new ball and it is Steyn all the way since lunch. Another inch-perfect outswinger from a length, Dhoni played at it like a zombie - no feet movement, no nothing. Seemed like he wanted to steer it square, he ended up playing it straight into third slip's hands. India are disintegrating here. 247/6 this will be norm for Dhoni unless the pitch becomes flat like it did when scored those 90 runs when match was already lost.

[Pagalpanti]

^So Sachins knock was on flat pitch? Or the end he was facing had holes dug in it?

[panther]

^So Sachins knock was on flat pitch? Or the end he was facing had holes dug in it?

after 20 overs batting is easy in sa ask azhar mahmood, samaweera,shafiq etc. India will flop if they take stroke makers dhawan and vijay to sa as openers pujara and kohli will be in within 15 overs and will be eaten alive.

[prinzo]

from a South African perspective, I can tell you that there will be plans in place to break the backbone of the batting lineup, mainley KHOLI , Pujera, Vijay, Dharwin, and then pressure to be put on Dhonis and the great Tendulkar to rebuild innings, expect brutal hard bouncy pitches.

[indiaregulator]

Eh, What does Prior have to do to get some bloody recognition in the world?

[Cricketics]

Eh' date=' What does Prior have to do to get some bloody recognition in the world?[/quote'] Bat on a pitch full of jelly beans.

[Jersey #10]

India being no 2 will further expose how flawed the ranking system is.

[FischerTal]

after 20 overs batting is easy in sa ask azhar mahmood, samaweera,shafiq etc. India will flop if they take stroke makers dhawan and vijay to sa as openers pujara and kohli will be in within 15 overs and will be eaten alive.

we will do better than 49 for sure. :two_thumbs_up:

[ravishingravi]

India being no 2 will further expose how flawed the ranking system is.

This this this

[diga]

India being no 2 will further expose how flawed the ranking system is.

OK.. most probably we are not going to be no.2 and might slip further as we dont play any tests till dec:((

[Lord]

thanks OP:mad:

[deathmonger]

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii What a KLPD. Sigh. Oh well, going to play some video games to cheer myself up. :yay:

[saneindian]

Well fought England. What a knock by Matt Prior..won't be long before he goes a step ahead of Gilchrist, has a knack of playing great innings when his team needs it the most.

[rkt.india]

Road block

[rkt.india]

India being no 2 will further expose how flawed the ranking system is.

No. It will show other teams have done worse than us. Rankings are not based on one or two series. 3-4 years consistent performance is counted. Only we people give overseas win or loss more importance, rankings treat home or away win or loss equally. Even if we had become #2, we would still be to far away from #1. Ranking system just had showed how much a difference between #1 and #2 is. SA is 128 and India at 112. England were 118 before this series and if England had lost today, they would have also come down to 112. So rankings are not that bad after all. Ranking only shows your performance and they are pretty good. They do not show how good a team is currently, but they how a tram has performed in last 3-4 years period.

[Mariyam]

from a South African perspective, I can tell you that there will be plans in place to break the backbone of the batting lineup, mainley KHOLI , Pujera, Vijay, Dharwin, and then pressure to be put on Dhonis and the great Tendulkar to rebuild innings, expect brutal hard bouncy pitches.

Dharwin is a firm believer in survival of the fhittest. Have we (India) ever won a test series in RSA?

[Needforspeed]

I am glad we did not become No 2. Otherwise the media would have hyped up the Ind v SA series so much and then they will have a good laugh if we get whitewashed again. Better to go into the seires as No 3 or No4.