India Tour of England, June-Sept 2014

[keith]

I would play ashwin plus 4 bowlers and omit one batsman that would help attack to take 20 wicket, even in india it was jadeja in Australia series helped to take 20 wickets , there was no ohja and ashwin were taking 20 wickets in all 4 tests then We need 5 bowlers 3 plus 2 spinners every match overseas.

I'm inclined to agree. I wish it was Ojha ahead of Jadeja but if they're playing 5 bowlers I guess they need the batting that Jadeja offers. Honestly, Ashwin is a pretty good batsman anyway.

[philcric]

The warm up games suggest that Ashwin and Rohit are out of contention for the first test (they hardly were given a chance to bat or bowl). Gambhir too, as he didn't bat in the second warm up game. So, looks like India is going with 5 batsmen only. It could be (4 pacers + Jadeja) or (3 pacers + Jadeja + Binny). I think it's going to be the latter.

[undisputed chap]

Imo england should have prepared sporting tracks instead of flat decks. Don't want to see even hacks like mooli & dhawan scoring heavily. These type of tracks just take all the fun out of the series.

[undisputed chap]

He is indeed a good prospect for the English. They now have two quality pace all rounders in stokes & woakes. Interesting to see how they perform against a minnow.

[The Outsider]

If you haven't stopped reading his gibberish after he compared the English team with the all time great teams, you should ASAP.

[Pagalpanti]

Expect 220-7 to become 400 a.o courtesy of our chewtiya attack.. :((

[FischerTal]

Expect 220-7 to become 400 a.o courtesy of our chewtiya attack.. :((

for that you have to get to 220-7 first

[CSK Fan]

So basically Bhuv Kumar will be useless.

Yes, because all our other bowlers are masters of flat track :giggle:

[rkt.india]

Last time we has the wood on cook except for one innings where we let go of chances.

Yes. He was a failure last time till that 294 at Oval I guess in which he was dropped very early on.

[rkt.india]

Pujara eases into Test mode

It might have been a low-intensity nearly-an-exhibition match against the 2nd XI of the second-worst team in county cricket this year, and the Indians might have spread their energies over the actual game, nets, gym and medical requirements, but someone forgot to tell Cheteshwar Pujara. India's No. 3, and one of their two most important batsmen in the Tests, batted as if in a Test match, paying due respect to accurate deliveries before batting more freely as the innings progresses, scoring 81 to take the Indians to 341 for 6 in their 91 overs in response to Derbyshire's 326 for 5. Pujara retired himself out so others could get a hit; he is yet to be dismissed by a bowler on this tour after he retired-out for 57 against Leicestershire. Pujara came in after the early fall of the openers, and hardly played an incorrect shot in his 131-ball stay, which included 13 fours. There were the drives in the V down the ground, one crunchy boundary through cover, wristy whips off the pad, and the powerful cut. Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Stuart Binny managed to spend decent amounts of time at the wicket, with Kohli looking as tuned in as Pujara before edging one onto the stumps when trying to leave it. Dhoni, Jadeja and Binny scratched around a bit before looking comfortable. Shikhar Dhawan and M Vijay scored 6 each of 26 balls, but you would not imagine the team management saw anything that would put Gautam Gambhir ahead of either of them. They did leave the ball well during their partnership before Vijay was ruled lbw against Mark Turner although he appeared to hold up his bat before he reluctantly walked off. Dhawan was beaten twice outside off, going for the drive, before a poke finally took the edge, off the bowling of the accurate Ben Cotton, whose figures at one point read 11-5-8-2. Kohli and Pujara will hope they are not walking out within the first hour come Trent Bridge, but they suggested they might be well equipped should that happen. Both built their innings solidly, getting their eye in before branching out. Pujara was the first one to show intent, getting off the mark with a straight-driven four. Kohli took 10 balls to open his account with a pushed single into covers, but soon picked up boundaries through an off drive and an on drive. Just before lunch, Pujara whipped one to leg to bring up fifty for the stand, which was dominated by Kohli's 32. Kohli did not add much after lunch, and Dhoni surprised by pushing himself, Jadeja and Binny ahead of Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane. The three had not batted at Grace Road, either. Even as Pujara moved along serenely and solidly, Dhoni batted in an interesting fashion. A balanced batsman who plays normally in limited-overs cricket, Dhoni somehow feels the need to walk down the pitch when he has his whites on in order to counter the movement. Here he did that to almost every delivery until he had the medium-pacers bowling short, which he could pull and hook. It remains to be seen if this is going to be Dhoni's game plan against quicker and more-skilled Test bowlers, with stakes raised. Four runs short of his fifty, Dhoni gave left-arm spinner David Wainwright the charge, was deceived, and bowled. Jadeja came in, and should have been dismissed immediately when he opened the face to a shortish delivery to give the slips catching practice. Chesney Hughes, though, dropped him, and was witness to a few powerful cut shots and a few mistimed lofts as Jadeja helped himself to 45. Binny, who had come in to replace Jadeja, got hit on the pads a few times, looked to be playing with his hands too hard early in the innings, but displayed a few attractive shots once he settled down. He remained unbeaten on 81 off 111 deliveries, hitting two sixes and nine fours. The playing conditions decided upon in the match dictate both the sides declare their first innings after a day's play each, and split the third day down the middle. It makes the third day interesting because the Indians get to bowl again, and we get to see if Mohammad Shami has recovered from his calf strain to be able to get some overs into his legs.

www.espncricinfo.com/england-v-india-2014/content/story/757207.html

[vvvslaxman]

He was in Test mode when he played for Kings XI :hysterical:

[Old guy]

He was in Test mode when he played for Kings XI :hysterical:

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: jokes aside he will be batsman of this series from both sides :two_thumbs_up:

[FischerTal]

eazy peazy :proud:

[maniac]

Pujara seems someone who will have success in s.a and aus.....going by what I saw in Nzl,he might struggle given the fact that he will face the new ball in difficult conditions more often than not.....took up a tough spot so will not write him off

[Detonator]

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: jokes aside he will be batsman of this series from both sides :two_thumbs_up:

no jinxing Misster SAbbindherrrr

[renjith]

pujara showing form is good news for india. coming into the series his form was patchy (independent of format).

[Old guy]

no jinxing Misster SAbbindherrrr

why would i jinx him ? i use to talk about him on this site when people use to ask whats so special about him ? even before that west indies a tour :cantstop: i just trust him and i have commented many times that when he is batting i am not worried about anything...he is just good batsman and hopefully will have good series again :two_thumbs_up:

[Kohli_Fan]

The only way we can do that is to intimidate cook and co with pace . The only player we have with such pace is Ishant but sadly he won't be played because of biased selection.

[CG]

The only way we can do that is to intimidate cook and co with pace . The only player we have with such pace is Ishant but sadly he won't be played because of biased selection.

:hysterical::cantstop:Allthough ishant does bowl well to cook but ishant has lsot his pace.

[Kohli_Fan]

:hysterical::cantstop:Allthough ishant does bowl well to cook but ishant has lsot his pace.

Sharma has the mental edge over Cook and if he can get the English captain early than the rest of the team will get shaken up. plhzoIAOfEA Also don't forget Sharma took a 6fer, in a recent test vs NZ so he is in good form, it is senseless to drop him.