India's Tour to South Africa, 2013

[eternalhope]

Ojha will only do good in India like Ashwin. Mark my words - Jadeja will be world class in a couple of years.

[zep1706]

Highly impressed. I was one of those people who didn't give him much of a chance against Steyn and Co. I am glad he proved me wrong.

[zep1706]

Jadeja needs to improve his temperament. He is a much better batsman than what we saw in this test. If he can become a reliable lower order batsman we will have the luxury to play an extra bowler. We need 5 bowlers in overseas test matches.

[rkt.india]

He needs to maintain high intensity on upcoming tours as well.

[Detonator]

He still has a long way to go and adjust his gears. I want to see him in ODI's too.

[Cricketics]

Nope' date=' just MoM in the second test. The honor you mentioned went to Nohit, which highlights how bullying WI at home isn't the same as playing SA in SA.[/quote'] Yeah, Sorry Man of the match in the last test.

[CSK Fan]

Not having DRS can only harm India's chances. Most of the umpires want to take out their frustations with BCCI on the Indian team. No team has been more screwed over by umpires than India. It is illogical as to why someone like Sachin is against it' date=' wasn't he the guy who has gotten the most number of wrong decisions in cricketing history.[/quote'] Sachin is very much in support of DRS when combined with snicko and hot-spot (which is the current version) http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sachin-tendulkar-bats-for-udrs/1/141794.html http://post.jagran.com/sakhi-sachin-tendulkar-supports-drs-with-hot-spot-and-snickometer-1308304071 Anyways, since Sachin has retired now the onus is on Srini and Dhoni

[The Dark Horse]

And one for Bhuvi too

[Sidhoni]

Did you guys forget what happened with DRS in the Ashes in England? HotSpot is not the solution, Snicko is better.

[CommonMan]

He is a chukker. We should not expose him too often by playing him so that he does not get banned for chucking. :nervous:

[jatinder]

Ohja derseve a better deaol. may be in 2014 ohja cement his place in ODI and Test team . he far better bowler than Ashwin if given a chance he will show his class.

[asterix]

How Dhoni’s defensive mindset cost India the second test against SA

How Dhoni’s defensive mindset cost India the second test against SA “Maybe the umpires have run out of balls... someone needs to call the Kookaburra guys and tell them to send in a few new balls,” joked Rahul Dravid on Day 4 of the Durban Test. South Africa had begun the day on 299-5 after from 104.5 overs. And even though Ravindra Jadeja had bowled beautifully – when Day 4 dawned the skies were overcast and there was enough to suggest that the fast bowlers would have a chance of taking some wickets. But Dhoni persisted with the old ball despite the fact that it was the South African pacemen who claimed the wickets while India were batting; despite the fact that his pace attack (Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami) had outbowled South Africa in the first innings in Johannesburg; despite the fact that Kallis had shut shop and only had a strike-rate of around 36.39 (at the end of his innings); despite the overcast conditions. It almost seemed like Dhoni had made up his mind. He seemed to have ‘decided’ that India’s best option was to play for draw and continued with the old ball because it made scoring difficult. By the time Dravid vented in the commentary box, South Africa were 374-5 after 130 overs. The new ball could have been taken 50 overs back. The match drifted towards nowhere in particular but India allowed South Africa to easily take the lead and then build on it, to a point where the hosts could throw caution to the winds and attack the Indian bowling. The old ball did nothing for the pacemen – no reverse swing or bounce. By the time the new ball was finally taken after 146 overs – SA had moved on to 431-7. And even then it wasn’t Dhoni’s decision, the umpires intervened -- India had to use the new ball, 66 overs after it was due. The new ball led to some quick runs but India also managed to wrap up the SA innings. But it was too late. Dhoni’s defensive mindset had hurt India. Cricket is indeed a game of great uncertainty but the Indian skipper thought he knew for certain and that was the mistake he made. Coming into the series, not many gave this Indian team any chance in the Tests – maybe Dhoni, who is now 32, felt that drawing the two Tests was enough. If India look back at this Test, they will probably identify the morning of the day 4 where things started to go steadily downhill. At the end of day 1, India were 181-1 and they managed to lose the match by 10 wickets. After the match, Dhoni said, “Overall, I am very happy with the performance.They bowled to the plan that they had.” And what plan was that? To take wickets or to contain the batsmen? Sometimes in a pursuit of a win, you have to be prepared to fail. India didn’t want to take that chance but still failed. They will say that India can take great positives out of this two-match Test series but the truth is that Dhoni’s decision also showed that he was more interested in avoiding a loss than pushing for a historic victory. It is hard to imagine Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane settling for less. They have shown that they are ready to play fearless cricket and they have shown in the Tests that they want to take on the opposition. Dhoni let them down. A sharp contrast from how this team plays in ODIs. They will chase anything down, they will find a way to win, they will do it against the odds. But here, they seemed to be playing for a draw. You play to win right... a draw is simply incidental. Dhoni was the senior, he was the leader... the experienced head... it was his decision to make and he chose to take India’s win out of the equation. It gave South Africa the confidence and the opportunity to push on. We have seen Dhoni see this many times before. The aborted chase in West Indies in 2011, the defensive tactics against England in 2012 and now against South Africa – every once in a while, he has a tactical melt down in Test cricket. A melt down that now means India have nine defeats and one draw in their last 10 overseas Tests. Despite the positives in this series, that doesn't make for very good reading. Everyone talks about how the youngsters need to learn from Dhoni but perhaps it's time Dhoni learns something from them as well. Because in case Dhoni has forgotten: Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/sports/how-dhonis-defensive-mindset-cost-india-the-second-test-against-sa-1314705.html?utm_source=ref_article

[asterix]

Did not take new ball because reverse swing was only option: MS Dhoni :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: Durban: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today blamed losing too many wickets in the morning session and some poor umpiring decisions for their 10-wicket defeat in the second Test against South Africa but applauded the way his team played in the series. The opening session was indeed vital and India got off to the worst start possible when Dale Steyn got key batsman Virat Kohli in the very first ball of the day. But the delivery had come off his shoulders and he was given out wrongly, bringing the question of DRS back into focus. "In the morning session today, we lost too many wickets. There were a few decisions that didn't go our way and then there were a couple deliveries that were good. At the same time, we also had soft dismissals which we couldn't afford given where the game was positioned at that time," Dhoni said at the post-match press conference. "There were a couple of sessions in both Tests where we played badly and that had an impact on both matches. Even in the last Test we were in position of bother in the last session on day five. "In this Test we started off well, but in just one session we were off-target. So as these young players play more Tests and gain experience they will learn to capitalize on moments. For example, when opposition bowlers are tired, that's when you get free Test runs. Overall, fantastic performance but we could have done better," he added, rating his team through the series. Asked if DRS should come into play, considering the decisions that went against India, Dhoni did still not seem convinced on the reliability of the technology. "There were few teams that were big time supporters of DRS previously, now they are against DRS. When it goes your way, it is good, but when it doesn’t it's not good. There will be a few human errors in the game. If there are no human errors then batsmen won’t get out and bowlers will keep bowling in one area. It is part and parcel of this game, as long as they are not blunders." "I don't want a security guard that will protect me during the day and leave me from 9pm to 9am to guard myself. I want 24 hours security," he added, joking about the complex DRS situation. Dhoni also defended India's strategy of not taking the new ball until the umpires forced them to after 146 overs. "It was Christmas time, but I am not Santa to give them free runs," said Dhoni. "It was about strategy. If we took the new ball, it would not swing. Who will bowl 25 overs then to get reverse swing? Also, Jadeja would not have been effective with the new ball. From the moment we started bowling on this pitch, we knew reverse swing was our only option." "When Kallis came to bat, they needed a big partnership. He countered our three fast bowlers and one spin bowling attack and played a fantastic innings," Dhoni added. For India, the stand-out performers in this Test were Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane, both playing their first overseas Test series and Dhoni praised them. While Jadeja took his best Test figures of 6-138 in the first innings, Rahane came good with two half-centuries in two innings, with a personal best of 96 in the second effort. "Jadeja took wickets and at the same time he kept one end tight. It meant that I could keep my fast bowlers fresh and rotate them, attacking from one end. This is the best option for us, because we can’t play two spinners overseas until we find a fast-bowling all-rounder," opined the Indian skipper. "Rahane batted really well, given the amount of time he has spent on the bench. He has worked hard on his fitness, his technique and approach to the game and he has grasped his chance when it came by," he added. While South Africa managed to reverse their trend here, finally wining in Durban after a string of four losses on the run, India, despite the defeat, can return home with their heads held high, according to Dhoni. "We have had plenty of positives from this series. The batting is looking good and the bowlers took twenty wickets in helpful conditions in Johannesburg. They will get better by playing more Tests and getting more exposure. "The bowlers need to learn how to get wickets on dry wickets overseas. Overall, we have a 15-17 member squad that is looking good. We have got fantastic ingredients. We didn’t cook so well in this match, so going ahead, we need to cook the right recipe," Dhoni signed off. PTI Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/sports/did-not-take-new-ball-because-reverse-swing-was-only-option-ms-dhoni-1315563.html?utm_source=ref_article

[GautiMaan]

Seriously beginning to think u guys have a point.I did not think he was solely responsible for 0-8 but his bizzare tactics and team selections are getting ridiculous.

[G_B_]

I dont think Dhoni still knows how to captain outside India. Its affecting the side. In a couple of years i hope Pujara becomes captain.

[ganeshran]

The problem is also his own batting. When was the last time Dhoni played a significant knock outside the subcontinent. We have given up crucial advantages (Eng 2nd test, SA 2nd test) because of the collapse triggered by Dhoni's dismissal

[G_B_]

i was very disappointed with the way Dhoni and Sir got out in the second innings in the second test. Rahane at the other end was set in stone. all they needed to do is hang around. I can understand if they got an unplayable ball. But some stupid shots of peterson. Jadeja especially. A couple of 30s from Sir and Dhoni and we might even have been talking about a 0-0 series.

[Austin 3:!6]

How far this team will go in 2015 World Cup? We had put up our best team ever in 2011 WC which went on to eventually win the tournament. Post that most of the seniors fazed out due to lack of form or fitness. If you look into the ODI team of today, it is completely different from the victorious 2011 team. Mind you its not even 3 years since our WC win and the team composition is completely different. We are extremely lucky with the suitable replacements and the future looks bright. Now, say IF we didn't had the replacements available and had to carry on with the same team : A) At present form how far you think this team will go in the 2015 WC? B) Who you think will be the man of the tournament for India? Team Sehwag (VC) Sachin Gambhir Kohli Yuvraj Raina Dhoni (C/WK) Harbhajan Zaheer Nehra Munaf Coach Gary Kirsten (SA) Venue Australia/NewZeland.

[Tailender]

On current form that team would struggle, but still it's a decent team. The bowling is a big worry however. Can't expect Yuvi to replicate his bowling Down Under. It's essentially two mediocre trundlers, an aging one in Zaheer and a spinner past his prime in Bhajji. Bhuvi, Shami, Ashwin, Jadeja and Umesh would make a much better bowling line up. Rahane, Dhawan, Pujara and Rohit make a great all round batting line up. Looks a solid team to me, one of the favorites. If it's down to Ashwin or Jadeja i'd go for Jadeja.

[Tailender]

Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will be the hardest teams to beat, IMO