Virat Kohli lays down his vision for the Indian Test team

[CricketBuffOne]

If Virat is serious about 'losing a few trying to win a few', then he must use this period to develop Ashwin into a lower order allrounder in tests. Otherwise, we simply do not have enough of an arsenal in our bowling attack to go for wins. Only way to win in the current 6+1+4 setup is to be conservative, hope the opposition messes up against our bowling and go for wins when time permits.

Nicely summed up, Muloghonto.

[Shivaji bhonsle]

This is good for Indian cricket. Man, I'm so tired of watching Indian team playing defensive cricket overseas. Hopefully, Virat brings back the aggression Sourav had when he captained our team overseas.

[jf1gp_1]

This is good for Indian cricket. Man' date=' I'm so tired of watching Indian team playing defensive cricket overseas. Hopefully, [b']Virat brings back the aggression Sourav had when he captained our team overseas.

Sourov had an amazing middle order and reliable bowlers to bank on ; our current test team he only have vijay and rahane.

[Shivaji bhonsle]

Sourov had an amazing middle order and reliable bowlers to bank on ; our current test team he only have vijay and rahane.

you don't get Readymade Rahuls and laxmans. you have to build a team and it takes time.

[Vilander]

i think he will loose more trying to win some..

[Vilander]

Sourov had an amazing middle order and reliable bowlers to bank on ; our current test team he only have vijay and rahane.

yup with that they only lost all their series in Aus and SA and did not get white washed so often..greatest ever Indian side definitely.

[Muloghonto]

Yes believe at the moment our batting isn't all that consistent to take the burden of 5 genuinish bowlers unless as you said we find a strong keeper batsman. Even with a better version of ashwin the batter to me the lineup just looks a bit flaky not all that dissimilar to the one pak had in the 90s - we will have better batsmen and poorer bowlers. Maybe in the already uncertain situation the way out is to bull doze through using experimentation but I would give support to our batters till they start getting a bit more consistent and when we have 5 of them then maybe look to play the 5 bowler strategy that is avoid losses right now get a few more draws. Now who do you play as our no.6 is a different question. The fact that we will be playing at home for some time makes this even more complex to be honest. It really is unfortunate that we don't have a 10-15 over contributor in the top-6 - there are a couple of spots up for grabs and maybe we do find someone who does that.

Good post but i think your reasoning is part of the problem Indian cricket faces (traditionally a batting oriented mentality). We strive to make our batting as good as it can be and mostly do a commendable job at it. In ODI and Tests, over the last 30-35 years we have mostly put out a top 3 batting lineup. We obsess over Tendulkar or Dhoni being a match winner (and for some strange reason, so do the Pakistanis) while singularly failing to realize that in Test cricket, batsmen save matches, bowlers win matches. A great batting lineup + no bowling lineup = mostly drawing matches and winning and losing a few. This is what India has traditionally come down to. Lacking a bonafide allrounder, we simply cannot conceive of increasing our winning numbers and also our losing numbers. We are not an ATG side. Make no mistake, if we try a winning first mentality, which we have the talent to pull off competetively against anyone and anywhere, we will also lose more. You see us becoming a weaker version to Pakistan in the 90s: wonky batting but not as good bowling if we try the 5+1+1+4 formula. No question our bowling is weaker but IMO our batting is stronger. Kohli, Vijay and Rahane have proven that they are capable of string of good knocks in opposition condition against big totals facing them. They need to keep going but at current rate, they will become amongst the best test batsmen of their generation. They also have time on their side. Vijay is the oldest and he is only 30 or 31. Our other batting positions (in tests) are a bit open but with the likes of Rahul, Dhawan, Mukund we can definitely solve our opener problem if we simply let merit and team needs dictate choices. Dhawan must be dropped for now and the position should be Rahul's to lose. If he does, we have to try Mukund atleast to see how it goes. That leaves #3 but frankly India has rarely looked this rich in #3 options as it does now. Pujara has been very good at home but he's faltered badly abroad and he knows it. He is rectifying it but we have the likes of Hanuma Vihari, Sreyas Iyer, Paras Dogra and maybe even a re-vamped Sehwag (who had a successful FC season last year from #3) waiting in the wings to wolf down the #3 spot. IMO, India is very capable of fielding a near-complete top five batsmen, with #1, 3-5 all looking very very capable. Some uncertainty exists over second opener spot but KL Rahul did look like a right handed desi Cook for a moment during his chancy but nerveless century in Australia. Now, we also have a few wicketkeepers in domestic cricket who are doing well in their batting as well. Chidambaram Gautam, Naman Ojha- they both bat in the top six of their FC teams are are reputedly, decent keepers (atleast Ojha is). Ojha even bats at #4-5 in his Ranji team and has crushed it with the bat recently. We also have the 'wunderkind' Sanju Samson waiting in the wings for the wicket-keeping role and he too is no mug with the bat. Given that Ashwin has displayed the potential to be at #7 batsman atleast in test cricket. Consider this: of the 'typical #7 batsmen in tests, we get the likes of MSD, Boucher, Brad Haddin, BJ Watling, etc. In terms of conversion to 50+ scores rate, average, runs scored/innings etc rate., Ashwin's numbers are not much worse than Haddin's and actually better in some categories than Mark Boucher's Ofcourse, both Haddin and Boucher have much more experience than Ashwin and batted in tougher conditions but Ashwin is managing comparable numbers to them from position 8- a huge disadvantage. With the next 20 or so tests to be played at home, the time is NOW to take some risks and atleast develop the team characteristics to try a 5+1+1+4 format should a real allrounder show up in the future (or Ashwin develops into one). Remember, our spinners are enough against almost anyone to take 20 wickets an innings on Indian turners if we play our top 2 or 3. If we play the 5 bowler format, we will get a chance to develop our bowlers a bit more. Even if we don't find a wicketkeeper batting great, one who can get to the 35-40 zone while batting in the top six would do well enough, provided the rest of our batting keeps going and Ashwin develops enough to contribute 30-35 runs from #7 slot. It might make the scoresheet look a bit like 3-2 or 2-1 instead of a 3-1 or 1-0 kinda deal but It'd be worth it.

[Muloghonto]

^Yes I am open to the 5 bowler strategy just feel right now may not be the time to employ it particularly on the very next overseas tour. If we are playing tests at home for a while I doubt the quality of insights we will gain that will help us abroad. So for instance say we win 4-0 vs. aus again with ashwin at 7 getting a few runs and picks up his share of the wickets with our batting lineup getting monster runs - does it mean this strategy will click overseas too. I would like to think the batting lineup gets a bit of confidence looking at a strong no.6 and can play that much more freely-naturally when touring (maybe we have become mentally stronger though since the 90s for us to get affected by such stuff but still) - I do agree without doubt that the 3-2 scoreline looks infinitely better than a 1-0.

doing it at home breeds familiarity with the process and the situation. Knowing that you are 100/2 and have 1 more specialist batsman to come instead of 2 is very valuable. And if we don't do it now and wait to 'gel our team' with six batsmen for the next few series and then do the 5+1+1+4 formula, there will be less confidence from our players because it will be new at that point and any new scenario is less confidence inducing than 'i've been here before, i can do this' type of scenario. if we do it now, atleast we will know if that system has some potential to work and if it does work at home, it will only add confidence to players when we play abroad.

[MCcricket]

Ashwin has class as a batter n can bat anywhere win us games even with his bat , especially in tests, we need to get rid of bits n pieces players in tests n look at K Yadav as well. Ashwin, Umesh, Shami,Ishant , Varun are good options then also BK can bat.

[ravishingravi]

He will be worse than Dhoni. Looks difficult. but more he opens his mouth,more i am convinced