Best combination for middle order?

[mancalledsting]

Combination A: 4. Rahane 5. Kohli 6. Rohit Pros: Rahane traditionally used to batting in top order- no. 4 position will allow him to remain in some what familiar territory Kohli and Rohit are not disturbed- continuity Rohit seems to have knack of batting with tail Cons: Inexperienced Rahane in crucial batting position Combination B: 4. Kohli 5. Rahane 6. Rohit Pros: Kohli moves up the order- closer to his natural ODI position which he so dearly loves. Gives him time to settle in and construct a big innings. Also fresh position higher up the order may give him opportunity to overcome his mental block (either over attacking or over defensive) which I feel is holding him from realising his true potential in tests. Combination C: 4. Kohli 5. Rohit 6. Rahane Pros: Two of our in form batsmen get pushed higher up the order and get a chance to face greater number of deliveries Cons: Will Rahane be able to bat lower down and know how to anchor an innings with a tail (which in itself is a specialist skill e.g. VVS, M Hussey). Remember how Pujara seemed out of sorts at number 6 in tests and when moved to number 3 was like a fish to water. Combination D: 4. Rohit 5. Kohli 6. Rahane Pros: Rohit is widely considered to be the most talented batsmen of this generation. Your best batsmen usually bats at 4. Like for like with the now gone SRT Cons: Is Rohit ready for such responsibility? Kohli stuck at 5 when his game is more suited higher up

[deathmonger]

Combination A: 4. Rahane 5. Kohli 6. Rohit Pros: Rahane traditionally used to batting in top order- no. 4 position will allow him to remain in some what familiar territory Kohli and Rohit are not disturbed- continuity Rohit seems to have knack of batting with tail Cons: Inexperienced Rahane in crucial batting position Combination B: 4. Kohli 5. Rahane 6. Rohit Pros: Kohli moves up the order- closer to his natural ODI position which he so dearly loves. Gives him time to settle in and construct a big innings. Also fresh position higher up the order may give him opportunity to overcome his mental block (either over attacking or over defensive) which I feel is holding him from realising his true potential in tests. Combination C: 4. Kohli 5. Rohit 6. Rahane Pros: Two of our in form batsmen get pushed higher up the order and get a chance to face greater number of deliveries Cons: Will Rahane be able to bat lower down and know how to anchor an innings with a tail (which in itself is a specialist skill e.g. VVS, M Hussey). Remember how Pujara seemed out of sorts at number 6 in tests and when moved to number 3 was like a fish to water. Combination D: 4. Rohit 5. Kohli 6. Rahane Pros: Rohit is widely considered to be the most talented batsmen of this generation. Your best batsmen usually bats at 4. Like for like with the now gone SRT Cons: Is Rohit ready for such responsibility? Kohli stuck at 5 when his game is more suited higher up

B) Kohli, Rahane, Rohit

[GoldenSun]

Admittedly I haven't seen much of Rahane in Ranji(don't kill me!lol). How good is he? He seems to be highly rated by many ICFers. I've seen him against England in 2011 and he looked really nice in the shorter formats.

[Old guy]

Admittedly I haven't seen much of Rahane in Ranji(don't kill me!lol). How good is he? He seems to be highly rated by many ICFers. I've seen him against England in 2011 and he looked really nice in the shorter formats.

he is classy batsman ..not in rohit kind of way who has lots of power but more of a timer of ball his problem is in his mind..he can look very edgy all of sudden for no reason and i think that is what he showed in his debut test but if he plays calmly he can easily play for india as he showed with his fighting knock against south africa a team where every one else failed..

[adi B]

Admittedly I haven't seen much of Rahane in Ranji(don't kill me!lol). How good is he? He seems to be highly rated by many ICFers. I've seen him against England in 2011 and he looked really nice in the shorter formats.

he is suited to tests,has a phenomenal FC carrier stats..the guy has a decent technique but his temperament in intl matches is in question,great/sweet timer of the ball.. on topic,kohli,nohit,rahane should be the order but will rahane be able to play with a clear mind and less pressure #6 knowing the tail starts after his dismissal with dhoni :nervous:

[adi B]

he is classy batsman ..not in rohit kind of way who has lots of power but more of a timer of ball his problem is in his mind..he can look very edgy all of sudden for no reason and i think that is what he showed in his debut test but if he plays calmly he can easily play for india as he showed with his fighting knock against south africa a team where every one else failed..

played well in the windies tour last year as well where chepu was outstanding..the saha-rahane partnership was :hatsoff: against SA A

[Old guy]

played well in the windies tour last year as well where chepu was outstanding..the saha-rahane partnership was :hatsoff: against SA A

no he was flop in tests but did ok in odis leg of a tour .. some spinner always got him after a start..:haha:

[adi B]

no he was flop in tests but did ok in odis leg of a tour .. some spinner always got him after a start..:haha:

oh was it nohit who scored 94 in the 1st test?i guess so,my bad

[Texan]

I would prefer playing 5 bowlers with Jadeja batting at 6 (ahead of Dhoni) for the first Test. We should approach each Test match positively irrespective of whether it's in India or away.

[mancalledsting]

I would prefer playing 5 bowlers with Jadeja batting at 6 (ahead of Dhoni) for the first Test. We should approach each Test match positively irrespective of whether it's in India or away.

this approach has worked well for us against Australia recently as each top order batsmen valued his wicket that much more in the knowledge india has a very long tail. 5 bowlers is really helpful in tests as it puts the opposition batsmen under continuous pressure as they know that no freebies are coming their way and they have to deal with more penetrative variety. Also bare in mind that with Viru's absence and SRT's retirement we have no reliable part time options except Rohit to spread the load(maybe). There is definitely merit to playing Jaddu (although bare in mind that Rahane is nearly as good a fielder).

[Cricketics]

May be Rahane might become a better player than even both Rohit and Virat but for now, with both Kohli and Rohit in form, I would keep them the way they were, right after Pujara. Rohit has had a brilliant run in 2 test and no need of deomoting him below new comber Rahane for now.

[cowboysfan]

you want your best players to play as many balls as possible but i think Rohit @ 6 right now makes sense.He can play attacking cricket if the need arisins and he has shown he can play with the tail.

[tweaker]

Kohli Sharma Rayuddu

[rkt.india]

I would prefer playing 5 bowlers with Jadeja batting at 6 (ahead of Dhoni) for the first Test. We should approach each Test match positively irrespective of whether it's in India or away.

You do not need 2 spinners in SA. It is your 3 main pacers who will have to do well up front with new ball, otherwise it is doom. Spinners role will very limited.

[Texan]

You do not need 2 spinners in SA. It is your 3 main pacers who will have to do well up front with new ball' date=' otherwise it is doom. Spinners role will very limited.[/quote'] If you have couple of bowlers who can bat pretty well, then 5 bowlers should be the strategy. I think Ashwin-Jadeja can still make an impact in SA. Graeme Swann in the past has picked up bucket full of wickets in SA. We should try this combination in the first Test and see how it goes. That would, of course, unfortunately mean that Rahane sits out. As much of a fan I am of Rahane, I think the best strategy would be to be positive and go with 5 bowlers (2 of which can bat).

[rkt.india]

I do not think Jadeja can bat in tests.

[Texan]

Many people had the same opinion about his bowling until he shut them up.

[mayank098]

Rohit will open with Dhawan and for middle order 3. Virat 4. Rahane 5. Yuvraj 6. Dohni That will be best combination

[Sandeep99]

*Rat - Rahane - Rohit* Rohit can play with the tail while the other two can't

[ruchi49]

I think yuvraj is the best for middle order, he is a true player, and he has a power to win any match in any condition. My order is 1 dhavan 2 rahane 3 rohit 4 virat 5 yuvraj 6 suresh raina 7 dhoni