Ishant must not play in SA tests!

[King Tendulkar]

Well done. Did ok yesterday But all of a sudden everyone talking like some former great is back and is going to do well. He has been tragic for a while. Let him play more in some oids and domestics and then we see. Yestarday still bowling low 130s with no seam or swing. Dont see much change. Yet it seems all is forgotten and is being hyped as back! Problem was he was never there to be back! I am very worried that Yadav will be dropped and suddenly Ishant comes in. We need one fast bowler. Yadav has to play

[cowboysfan]

I would not play him either, just play bhuvi in place of ashwin.

[jusarrived]

I would not play him either' date=' just play bhuvi in place of ashwin.[/quote'] Ashwin has to play . Lower order batting will play a huge role in how we do in the tests , cud be a difference between India posting totals of 200s or 300s . Shami is the only one who picks hims self . Yadav Bhuvi . This will be my bowling attack . In an unlikely scenario , if we play 5 bowlers I would go with Ishant .

[Austin 3:!6]

Expect Ishant now to tear apart opponents in tests. OP has a fantastic record of reverse jinxing :giggle:

[saneindian]

He's timed his return to wicket taking form perfectly. Zaheer, Shami and Ishant are going to be the three pacers with Ashwin the lone spinner. I hope they don't pick Jadeja. We need a proper batsman at no 6, though all this will not matter at all.

[King Tendulkar]

Yadav clicked 91 mph a few times in last odi. That pace with older ball will be invalubale

[cowboysfan]

No way they leave Zak out,he is the only one who has some form coming into the first test,IMO shami and Zak are certain to play.

[ganeshran]

What will happen to the countdown to Ishant being ranked the number 1 bowler in tests :((

[Yoda-esque]

He's timed his return to wicket taking form perfectly. Zaheer, Shami and Ishant are going to be the three pacers with Ashwin the lone spinner. I hope they don't pick Jadeja. We need a proper batsman at no 6, though all this will not matter at all.

Seems about right

[fineleg]

ZK + Shami will play. It is a choice between Umesh Yadav vs Ishant Sharma vs BK Ashwin needed for boosting lower order batting esp given top order will collapse against Steyn, Morkel and Philander.

[Silva]

I agree, yadav is much better 1st change bowler. Ishant sharma has always been a decent ODI bowler but he is averaging 57 at a strike rate of 95 in 27 innings he's played in new zealand australia south africa and england. In comparison his average outside those countries is 31 at a strike rate of 59. He's good only on certain kinds of pitches that have low and uneven bounce. The problem is people hate on him so much that when ever he has a good match people think he's become a better bowler when in reality he's more or less the same bowler that he's always been except with less pace.

[jhakati]

Yadav clicked 91 mph a few times in last odi. That pace with older ball will be invalubale

ur an idi@t

[express bowling]

Seeing the current form of our bowlers, in combination with the conditions, my bowlers for Wanderers would be Shami Umesh Zak Ishant Ashwin with Ashwin batting at 7. Ishant is not a good enough bowler in tests. His problems of scrambled seam, bad release, non rhythmic run-up etc. remain. The only reason I would include him is because we badly need a tall pacer in Wanderers. If all the pacers have similar release points, it becomes much easier for the batsmen to play as they don't have to adjust for ball trajectory and bounce.We don't have anybody else in this team who is tall. Further, if Zak in not fit enough to last the whole day and bowl with intensity, we would have another pacer. Leaving out Umesh, our fastest bowler, in Wanderers is madness. We need an out and out quick in our lineup.

[ThePhenomenal1]

Bhuvi will do little with the old ball. Though i prefer bhuvi as a bowler, its horses for courses again. Ishant will get through overs and has that bounce. If he bowls like yesterday, who knows! He seems to have improved his lengths and come at the right time. His pace has dropped and i don't know why. He looked slower too, he needs to crank it up. That's my only issue. We should play 4 pacers: Umesh, shami, Zak, Ishant

[ThePhenomenal1]

If its Umesh v Ishant, you HAVE to play Umesh. He was more succesful than Ishant in AUS wasn't he? And in the Eng home series

[express bowling]

If its Umesh v Ishant' date=' you HAVE to play Umesh. He was more succesful than Ishant in AUS wasn't he? And in the Eng home series[/quote'] I agree. We cannot drop a genuine fast bowler with a SR of 46 in tests. Among the 2, I would choose Umesh too.

[Deleted_User_1]

ZK + Shami will play. It is a choice between Umesh Yadav vs Ishant Sharma vs BK Ashwin needed for boosting lower order batting esp given top order will collapse against Steyn, Morkel and Philander.

Does it matter who plays, or who does not? here is how the 2 tests will go.... India bat first....Steyn and co run through the lineup for 100 odd, SA pile on a big score, India bat in the 2nd innings, Steyn and co run through the line up again. SA win big by an innings. If SA bat first....SA pile on a big score, India bat and Steyn and co run through the line up for 100 odd. SA add more misery in the 2nd innings by adding quick runs and letting India chase a mammoth total. India bat in the 2nd innings and Steyn and co run through the line up cheaply. SA win big by over 150 runs. Dhoni comes up with some BS explanation after the series.....Indian players go home with sore asses waiting to cash in during IPL 2014. This series is not only going to be lost 0-2, but the manner India will capitulate will be humiliating but expected. This team does not have the technique, the experience and the mental fortitude to face hostile fast bowling and does not have the resources to give it back while bowling.

[vvvslaxman]

It is not about who you play who you don't play. It is about how the guys who play step up.

[saneindian]

Umesh has struggled to take wickets everywhere. Doesn't seem in any rhythm at all. Bowling 90 mph on a couple of occasions is not going to get him in the team as Shami is perfectly capable of hitting those speeds himself. Having said that the day practice match is Bhuvi / Umesh' chance to bowl themselves into the test squad. Will need a few wickets to put a stronger case.

[rkt.india]

Umesh has struggled to take wickets everywhere. Doesn't seem in any rhythm at all. Bowling 90 mph on a couple of occasions is not going to get him in the team as Shami is perfectly capable of hitting those speeds himself. Having said that the day practice match is Bhuvi / Umesh' chance to bowl themselves into the test squad. Will need a few wickets to put a stronger case.

I think Umesh bowled well in last match, especially in his later spell after 40 overs. He needed longer spells to get into rhythm. How can one get into rhythm when he is given 1-2 overs spell. This shows how poor Dhoni has captained the fast bowlers. He has no clue how to use them. If he is not hitting the good length area consistently then use him as an attacking option as he can easily bowl 145k to trouble any batsman with pace. Just need a bit of tactical use which you rarely see from Dhoni.