Nothing much has gone wrong yet : Hope for better results in tests

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Zaheer, Ashwin promise fight in Tests http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2013-14/content/current/story/699647.html Two of India's most experienced bowlers, Zaheer Khan and R Ashwin, have promised a better fight in the upcoming Tests after India were blanked 2-0 in the ODIs. Zaheer, one of the few in this Indian team not shy to have a word, has begun to stir up the opposition. Ashwin, meanwhile, has said he will not throw in the towel just yet. When asked to respond to South Africa players' comments that they have scarred a few of the visitors, Zaheer made his feelings known. "You know, talk is talk," Zaheer said. "You can talk as much as you like outside. Once you go on to the field, it's all about doing. And I think this Indian team will do the needful. Whatever it's going to take to win this series." Zaheer is a bowler who plays mind games well. Once he spots a weakness in a batsman, he goes all the way with it. He has done that to South Africa's Test captain, Graeme Smith, successfully in the past. This in itself, many Indian pundits felt, was reason enough to bring Zaheer to South Africa. And he is no mood to let Smith forget that he has dismissed him 13 times in 396 balls in all international cricket. Asked if he had any new plans to get Smith out, Zaheer said, "I just have to turn up." Just so he didn't sound too obnoxious, though, Zaheer added, "Having said that, Graeme Smith has got a terrific record in Test matches. He's a good leader. It's good to have that advantage. When you go into a match and have that edge over someone who has been a good opener and [has] been scoring consistently at the highest level." Ashwin is part of the ODI side that has taken a hammering in the recently concluded ODI series, which India lost 2-0. He is a combative and proud man too. It doesn't sit well with him that he has gone for 169 runs off 168 balls for a solitary wicket in the series thus far. He might, rightly, not agree that India's performance so far is a "disaster", but pride says he will have give it his all in the Tests. "I am definitely here in terms of looking to fight and just go on fighting," Ashwin said. "I am prepared for a fight. I want to take it to the field and see what I can actually do. Be it with catching, be it with bowling or be it with batting. I am prepared for all. So I am just going to go out there and make sure that I at least give it 100% of what I can to try for a series win. It cannot get any better. It means the most to me in life." Ashwin said that he started to work on his Test bowling during the last, inconsequential, ODI, although he did also, for some reason, mention that he had achieved what he wanted to achieve through his bowling in the ODIs. "In terms of what I wanted to achieve out of the ODI series, it's pretty much through," Ashwin, on his first tour to South Africa, said. "I wanted to test the conditions, see how much it responded to what I was delivering. Yesterday, pretty much, the Test match was more on my mind. I thought I can toss a lot more balls up and see where it goes. Definitely the ball was drifting much more. "I think it's got to [do] much [with] the air in terms of what I'm planning to do here. [i just] try and set fields and bowl straighter lines. I've chatted to a few people who have been here and done well so that's going to help. I'd like to play the situation rather than anything else. I've prepared myself in terms of what I can deliver at the best of my abilities, and then I'll take the situation at hand and do what the situation demands." Patience and accuracy, Ashwin said, were going to be key to performing well in the Test series. Asked if his mindset changes from being a wicket-taker to the one holding up one end when he goes out of Asia, he said, "Whatever I have heard and whatever tour I have gone on, I was always expected to take wickets. There's no two ways about it. I have my personal expectations, and I would like to do well anywhere I go. "Nothing means more to me than an overseas victory. In terms of planning a spell or building up a scenario, it's going to be the key here. Need to be patient here, in terms of let[ting] things happen, rather than look to make things happen. The time will come when you can make things happen." Ashwin said he will need to contribute not only as a bowler, but also as a batsman and fielder. "There are three facets of the game," Ashwin said. "I'll be standing at slips, I'll be bowling, I'll be batting. I would fight in every department. I am dead serious about it. I will definitely throw every bit. I will never throw the towel, and I'll try and see where I can go [from] here. There is nothing that will mean more to me than a victory overseas."

[vvvslaxman]

Looks like he is reacting to fans? Twitter post reactions :cantstop: Anyway hope he doesn't fall into the trap of over-experimenting.

[skindia]

Kohli and jaddu can fight

[Number]

These 2 can give a fight to anyone in eating biryani and curd rice.

[King Tendulkar]

Well done zak. Need some of these. No stepping back, punch back Zak is a legend and will fight, tack record in this. Wont let SA just bully us, hopefully can rally the others out of dhonis apathy

[GoldenSun]

this is too funny! :hysterical:

[Ram]

One good thing in the aftermath of the sub-par ODI outcomes is that expectations from the Indian team's perspective are quite low. That may not be a bad thing. If you recall, the last time we were here in 2010-2011, there were real hopes of a positive series outcome. Kirsten had planned that tour meticulously, sending some of the tour squad guys to SAF well in advance of the formal tour dates. We really thought we could win that serie (and we nearly did!..). This time, nobody expects us to do anything substantial, which, for the current indian squad, must be quite a weird feeling. I dont recall when was the last time we went into any test series with such low expectations. That may not be a bad thing after all. It may free up some of the players.

[Austin 3:!6]

Ashwin should not be in playing XI. Ojha should be our spinner and we must play with 4 fast bowlers. Yes, if Ashwin is playing as a genuine all rounder I have no problem. He should open then with Dhawan.

[ThePhenomenal1]

Honestly speaking, we should have had more practice! Ashwin using ODIs to get used to the conditions is annoying, though its not his fault. He should have focused on getting wickets and he didn't perform that well personally. Hope he has a better show in the tests. Zak is too funny! "I just have to show up" Lmao Hope the team indeed shows a fight.

[vvvslaxman]

Honestly speaking, we should have had more practice! Ashwin using ODIs to get used to the conditions is annoying, though its not his fault. He should have focused on getting wickets and he didn't perform that well personally. Hope he has a better show in the tests. Zak is too funny! "I just have to show up" Lmao Hope the team indeed shows a fight.

I am not entirely buying it. If he was indeed using ODIs to practice for tests he wouldn't have paused 100 times in 3 matches. You don't do that in Tests do you? He is just making up some excuse for his ineffectiveness in limited over games. He is going to be very good on certain surfaces. very bad on certain surfaces. More than the lack of skill it is the accuracy that keeps letting him down. If he wants to be successful he has to attack the stumps all the time.

[putrevus]

If guys start using excuses for their ineptness then their end is near. Bhajji was using every excuse to defend his awful perfomance other than blaming himself.

[ThePhenomenal1]

I am not entirely buying it. If he was indeed using ODIs to practice for tests he wouldn't have paused 100 times in 3 matches. You don't do that in Tests do you? He is just making up some excuse for his ineffectiveness in limited over games. He is going to be very good on certain surfaces. very bad on certain surfaces. More than the lack of skill it is the accuracy that keeps letting him down. If he wants to be successful he has to attack the stumps all the time.

Good point, I feel he has let himself down in LOIs. I feel T20 messes up his rhythm and style but i hoped he would do good in ODIs overseas. His pausing annoys me, it always costs him runs. Don't know why he does it. An example of trying to be too clever and it backfiring. His accuracy needs to improve, he's all over the place and doesn't turn the ball on unhelpful surfaces, he just releases the ball.

[cowboysfan]

what about our batsmen,they have to respect the conditions and be prepared to tough it out,this is not India.

[vvvslaxman]

what about our batsmen' date='they have to respect the conditions and be prepared to tough it out,this is not India.[/quote'] Certainly !! very much. 1) fast bowlers 2) bastmen 3) spinners that is the order in which i expect better contribution. Spinners even the best of the best can struggle on certain pitches in SA. Once in a while we get a dry one which will keep spinners in business.

[vvvslaxman]

India look to batsmen without baggage http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2013-14/content/story/699741.html India look to batsmen without baggage Sidharth Monga December 12, 2013 Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay are the only two India batsmen to have previously played Tests in South Africa. They don't carry too many scars of defeat either. Of the two Tests that Pujara has played there, India have won one and drawn the other. Vijay became part of one of India's two Test wins in South Africa in his only Test in the country. Even in the ODIs, Vijay has been on the winning side in two out of three games. Nor has either of the two been part of the drubbing handed out in the ODIs on this tour. Instead, while India lost the ODI series, Pujara and Vijay were part of the contingent that has gone through six net sessions. They have had more time to get used to the conditions than those who played the ODIs, who, in the words of Virat Kohli, :cantstop: have played the games and then got to know the conditions. India will look to them to bring positive reinforcement to a side that will be low on confidence. The two promised the same a day before India begin their two-day tour game before the Tests. "I think the important thing here is that you need to adjust to the bounce and the lateral movement that is there on the wicket," Pujara said. "So since I have played a couple of matches here it will help me adjust better and I think the preparation time that we had here is also enough and should help us to perform better." For Vijay, it is all about not paying too much attention to external factors. "I personally think you have got to keep it simple because already there is a lot of talk going around," Vijay said. "You have got to go out there and be free in your mind, and just see the ball and play. That's the basic plan, as simple as that." Pujara and Vijay have had different build-ups to the tour of South Africa. Playing in Ranji Trophy, Pujara has scored two centuries in three matches, one of them a double, which he said gave him confidence coming here. Vijay scored only 118 runs in his three matches, but he said he was feeling good about his game. "When you have some runs in the last innings, it does feel good," Pujara said. "The kind of runs that I had in the last innings, the time I spent at the crease, it really helps me to improve my concentration and when you have the best of concentration it's easy to adjust to the conditions. Obviously, confidence-wise it helps." "For me, it's a feel-good factor inside," Vijay said. "It's not about how many runs I score, it's more about how I bat. If am in good touch and hitting the ball well, that matters to me more. In that respect, I am satisfied at where I am. Looking forward to whatever I can do in South Africa." This is the first time Pujara and Vijay have travelled out of India as certainties, out of right and not because the main players are resting. Pujara admitted this tour was a challenge for him. "When you are playing at the international level you expect fast bowling, so it is not about who is the fastest," Pujara said, "but yeah conditions are favourable for the bowlers and so it is a little challenging for us, but that is the important part as a youngster because when you want to grow as a cricketer you want to face challenges and learn out of it. It will be a challenging tour for us, but we are well prepared for it." The last time Pujara was here he fought hard in Durban before a back-foot defensive topspun onto his stumps. In Cape Town he got an unplayable delivery from Dale Steyn, which started leg, swung, and hit his pad in front of off. It has been three years since. "The last one-and-a-half years has been really good for me," Pujara said. "Playing the Test format and scoring those runs. I think I have become a matured player, and playing against teams like Australia and England has helped me a lot because they have very good fast bowling. I think the kind of runs you score in one-one-and-a-half years when you're in good form, you've got a lot of confidence. Even in the domestic matches I have scored runs. I have very good confidence, which helps a cricketer prepare himself mentally rather than what he does on the field. When you are mentally prepared there are some adjustments, which need to be done on the field. Then you are in the best frame of mind, you have the best chance of preparing yourself on the field."

[CG]

"For me, it's a feel-good factor inside," Vijay said. "It's not about how many runs I score, it's more about how I bat. If am in good touch and hitting the ball well, that matters to me more. In that respect, I am satisfied at where I am. Looking forward to whatever I can do in South Africa."

:hatsoff: Confidence.

[maniac]

Surprisingly vijay might do well because of his new patient approach like the way he played against Australia......dhawan on the other hand I have doubts about. Both have bad techniques,don't know why people are picking dhawan or vijay

[Yoda-esque]

Surprisingly vijay might do well because of his new patient approach like the way he played against Australia......dhawan on the other hand I have doubts about. Both have bad techniques,don't know why people are picking dhawan or vijay

Rayudu ?:icflove:

[Ghost Buster]

Surprisingly vijay might do well because of his new patient approach like the way he played against Australia......dhawan on the other hand I have doubts about. Both have bad techniques,don't know why people are picking dhawan or vijay

Becoz dhawan is better than vijay technically and is very positive while batting. Seeing Vijay bat doesnt instill that confidence. Thats my opinion.

[virufan]

It is difficult to win away series for India with these technical junkies. Atleast when Dada, Sachin, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag were there in the team, there was some glimmer of hope during series in Aus, SA and England. Now I see none. Rohit Sharma - who cannot improve anymore due to his arrogant attitude and a closed mind. Shikar Dhawan - Was not confident of him technique-wise before the tour but is willing to listen and learn. So confident that he would improve. Murali Vijay - He is no good more so in these conditions. He is a quota man of our team. Kohli - Though he did well in Australia in tests, he has to show more responsibility in the ongoing series. I have confidence that he will succeed. But pls do not compare him to Viv or Sachin. Cheteshwara Pujara- Pinning my hopes on him. Dhoni - Resilient, though technically he may not be very sound. He has performed much better than others. Hope he keeps his form in Tests. Ambati Rayudu - Did not see much of him and he may not even get a game. Ravindra Jadeja: He did what an allrounder should do in the series. He has to put more runs on the board rather than 20s and 30s, which our top order did not even do. Ashwin: Bad bowling. If he gets runs, it is good as he will definitely be in the playing XI