India tour of New Zealand 2019

[LiveLoveABD]

We win by over 100 runs with 10 people in the side and we still think it's all doom and gloom. I think this shows how powerful Indian cricket is at the moment, specially the bowling. Tales of Kohli's captaincy are endless but in my opinion, that man called the wall who's sending youngsters to the national side is responsible for this sheer depth. I still think Dhoni should bat 4 at any cost and DK should play for Rayudu because he can give it a whack. But, what the hell do I know?

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

One thing I am sure about is Dhoni has a lot of Cricket left in him and come World Cup he would do even better if he is used well. I was confident about India's win looking at the late flourish that Dhoni and Jadhav provided. At one point New Zealand were clawing their way back into the game with Kane Williamson who was playing a cameo but right in span of 5 deliveries it all happened and he was dismissed and from there on the Kiwis never looked comfortable. And people over here are criticizing India for not cleaning up the tail early but if you have seen Doug Bracewell's innings in the T20I match against Sri Lanka you know very well what he is capable off. The time when Bracewell came in the match was already over so there is no worrying sign about him providing some lusty blows. We are heading the right way for the WC. But it would be good if we play DK in the team instead of Rayudu, the position we were in today it would've been great to see DK coming in at 3 and play a cameo to push the RR up and Kohli going full throttle coming in later in the innings. Bit disappointed with the way both our openers got out but anyways they are one of the best pairs for India. Good to see them break the record set by 2 of the legends of Sri Lankan Cricket (Jayasuriya and Attapattu) years ago. It was a satisfying win on Republic Day.

I would like to add to this, Happy Republic Day to all the Indian people on this Forum

 

[asprin]

And people over here are criticizing India for not cleaning up the tail early...

It's one thing to have an off day, but if it keeps repeating then it's a problem. Not sure why it's not being understood or acknowledged. There are some issues with our side that are being overshadowed by the results that we have been having of late. That doesn't mean that all is well.

 

[Bigby Wolf]

We win by over 100 runs with 10 people in the side and we still think it's all doom and gloom. I think this shows how powerful Indian cricket is at the moment, specially the bowling. Tales of Kohli's captaincy are endless but in my opinion, that man called the wall who's sending youngsters to the national side is responsible for this sheer depth. I still think Dhoni should bat 4 at any cost and DK should play for Rayudu because he can give it a whack. But, what the hell do I know?

Absolutely! We aren't even playing to our full potential and yet we are winning in a comprehensive manner. Dravid deserves every bit of credit for not only managing the youngsters but also helping the recently discarded/leftout players in the A setup. If somehow the middle order jigsaw is fixed then as a ODI side we will be one hell of a side to beat in all conditions especially with the bowling lineup we have now. But as you said What on earth do I know?

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

It's one thing to have an off day, but if it keeps repeating then it's a problem. Not sure why it's not being understood or acknowledged. There are some issues with our side that are being overshadowed by the results that we have been having of late. That doesn't mean that all is well.

Also acknowledge the fact the oppositions have trouble to dismiss the Indian tail when we are playing at home. At home even Umesh Yadav had taken Anderson and Broad for cleaners. Even Jayant Yadav had scored a 100 against England also during Australia series at home back in 2017 our tail provided us some useful runs

 

[abhi_jacko]

Its funny when the members who are repeatedly criticizing the Indian team on several points start calling out others critisicms as doom and gloom

The fact that we are winning the matches despite not reaching our potential is great, but you can't help but see the obvious chinks in the armor despite the wins. When we are not batting to our potential repeatedly, then it is a cause of worry. We also need to acknowledge that this wasn't NZ or Aus at their potential either.

I think we are well set for low to average scoring games. The side has the experience to pull it off. The problem is going to come when we are set up with a flat wicket where 350 is the par score. We just don't have the fire power to take on such scores if the top 3 perish. This team is full of stroke makers but they all take time to settle - we still haven't found replacements for Yuvi, Raina and MSD1.0. There are no settled power hitters

Bowling keeps bailing us out and God bless them for that

Last 3 world tournaments have been lost because we have come up short when the opposition has gone all out to unleash everything they had and we ended up with no answer - whether it is WC 2015, CT 2017 or WT20 2016, we topped the tables, breezed into the knockouts and then got convincingly knocked out in high scoring games every single time.

Surely a team with so much potential cannot be satisfied with just making it to the finals and semis?

There is no doom or gloom. But we can't thump our chests either based on these wins i feel

 

[zimrahil]

It's one thing to have an off day, but if it keeps repeating then it's a problem. Not sure why it's not being understood or acknowledged. There are some issues with our side that are being overshadowed by the results that we have been having of late. That doesn't mean that all is well.

Why, just why can't it be a quick and clean mop up of the tail for once? Bracewell set for a quick 50 here.

Yes when you are winning it goes unnoticed but when start losing or drawing games you should win it gets magnified
Maybe simply a case of opposition sides have better batters down the order ?

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Its funny when the members who are repeatedly criticizing the Indian team on several points start calling out others critisicms as doom and gloom

The fact that we are winning the matches despite not reaching our potential is great, but you can't help but see the obvious chinks in the armor despite the wins. When we are not batting to our potential repeatedly, then it is a cause of worry. We also need to acknowledge that this wasn't NZ or Aus at their potential either.

I think we are well set for low to average scoring games. The side has the experience to pull it off. The problem is going to come when we are set up with a flat wicket where 350 is the par score. We just don't have the fire power to take on such scores if the top 3 perish. This team is full of stroke makers but they all take time to settle - we still haven't found replacements for Yuvi, Raina and MSD1.0. There are no settled power hitters

Bowling keeps bailing us out and God bless them for that

Last 3 world tournaments have been lost because we have come up short when the opposition has gone all out to unleash everything they had and we ended up with no answer - whether it is WC 2015, CT 2017 or WT20 2016, we topped the tables, breezed into the knockouts and then got convincingly knocked out in high scoring games every single time.

Surely a team with so much potential cannot be satisfied with just making it to the finals and semis?

There is no doom or gloom. But we can't thump our chests either based on these wins i feel

Very fair points. I’m very much still very critical of the leadership and management of our side. In fact, I would say along with Aditya and Sai, I lead the “this is a terrible management group” tirade.

The middle order is definitely brittle and I will not be surprised if we are caught pants down in a knock out. But, our bowling is at the moment “thump your chest and say we are head and shoulders clear.” And it’s because of that, that the weakness keeps getting masked.

But, all said and done, we are still winning and as you said, we aren’t even at full pelt. Our biggest match winner isn’t even playing. And while your point about Australia not being full strength is right, you are wrong about NZ. This is NZ at full pelt, at home and getting hammered. And I think they’re a mighty mighty fine side.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Yes when you are winning it goes unnoticed but when start losing or drawing games you should win it gets magnified
Maybe simply a case of opposition sides have better batters down the order ?

Exactly !!!

 

[SaiSrini]

Couldn't fault Dhoni much yesterday. Ever since he came out, he rotated the strike and was scoring at run a ball or just over run-a-ball. It was Rayudu who could just not get things going. And what that tells you is that - Dhoni and Rayudu *CANNOT* exist together in that middle order. It's almost the same as that of Rahane and Dhoni. Rayudu scoring aggressively against IPL attacks seem different from him doing the same in an international match. And when he is not able to step up the pace, DK should come in his place. Rayudu is good when the top order fails and he has to stabilize, but this doesn't happen often due to the strength of top order and also we have Dhoni in case a collapse is coming.

That last over of 23 runs took India above 320 when there was a huge possibility that India might not even reach 310 when the 49th over started. And India were on course for 350+ on that wicket. Scoring 25-30 above par is crucial and can be the difference between a win and a loss.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Couldn't fault Dhoni much yesterday. Ever since he came out, he rotated the strike and was scoring at run a ball or just over run-a-ball. It was Rayudu who could just not get things going. And what that tells you is that - Dhoni and Rayudu *CANNOT* exist together in that middle order. It's almost the same as that of Rahane and Dhoni. Rayudu scoring aggressively against IPL attacks seem different from him doing the same in an international match. And when he is not able to step up the pace, DK should come in his place. Rayudu is good when the top order fails and he has to stabilize, but this doesn't happen often due to the strength of top order and also we have Dhoni in case a collapse is coming.

That last over of 23 runs took India above 320 when there was a huge possibility that India might not even reach 310 when the 49th over started. And India were on course for 350+ on that wicket. Scoring 25-30 above par is crucial and can be the difference between a win and a loss.

I am surprised to see that whatever I am thinking is being already put up by other members in the thread. Is it a coincidence or every Indian Cricket fan thinks the same about the team. I support this argument. This is 100% true that we can't have anyone churning out dots after dots and come up with an occasional boundary every over or two if we have Dhoni in the side. This is exactly the reason why I wouldn't want to see Gill in the side till Dhoni is there with us. But I don't agree with the point that Rahane can't score quickly. He is a bit unlucky to miss out on the ODI Squad. He is actually scoring at a rate of almost 90 since 2017 but got very limited opportunities since then

 

[bumrahfan]

I am surprised to see that whatever I am thinking is being already put up by other members in the thread. Is it a coincidence or every Indian Cricket fan thinks the same about the team. I support this argument. This is 100% true that we can't have anyone churning out dots after dots and come up with an occasional boundary every over or two if we have Dhoni in the side. This is exactly the reason why I wouldn't want to see Gill in the side till Dhoni is there with us. But I don't agree with the point that Rahane can't score quickly. He is a bit unlucky to miss out on the ODI Squad. He is actually scoring at a rate of almost 90 since 2017 but got very limited opportunities since then

Shubman Gill scores much faster than Rayudu and is also a more reliable batsman. If Rayudu can make it, why can't Shubman Gill

 

[LiveLoveABD]

I am surprised to see that whatever I am thinking is being already put up by other members in the thread. Is it a coincidence or every Indian Cricket fan thinks the same about the team. I support this argument. This is 100% true that we can't have anyone churning out dots after dots and come up with an occasional boundary every over or two if we have Dhoni in the side. This is exactly the reason why I wouldn't want to see Gill in the side till Dhoni is there with us. But I don't agree with the point that Rahane can't score quickly. He is a bit unlucky to miss out on the ODI Squad. He is actually scoring at a rate of almost 90 since 2017 but got very limited opportunities since then

I would, at this point pick Rayudu over Rahane. I don't really give a crap about numbers and awards, I never have and never will. Rahane's cricket has taken a serious dip post his dropping from the test team. I enjoyed some of his counter attacking knocks in the recently concluded tests but he's clearly a bit affected in terms of confidence. When you go to a world cup, you pick blokes that have gelled and travelled with the team and most importantly in form and confident. I think one of Dhoni's greatest master strokes to date is how he built and boosted Kohli in the lead up to the world cup of 2011 and then at a crucial juncture dropped Y Pathan for Raina. Let me remind you, back in those days, Pathan's stocks were touching the skies and he was widely regarded as 'the guy who could go bigger than anyone else.'

At this moment in time, even Manish Pandey picks himself ahead of Rahane. If Kohli has one shred of cricketing acumen he will realise the red hot form DK has been in for two years and the mountain of experience he has. People under estimate the pressure of the big stage. It's another reason for me he picks himself above Pant. Ex WCt20 and CT winner.

 

[abhi_jacko]

I think today is going to be an interesting challenge. NZ look set to reach 280-300 on what is a slower wicket than the last match and is supposed to only get slower. Actually hoping for 2 wickets down in the first 15 so we can see what our middle order is made up of. Would have been nicer if MSD was available, but anyways - Rayudu gets one more chance[DOUBLEPOST=1548650793][/DOUBLEPOST]Pandya has been quite good on his comeback meanwhile

 

[Neo 7]

I've literally got bored watching the top 3 then and again .

Vijay Shankar didn't got the chance to bat . I hope Pandya & DK get the opportunities in the remaining 3 matches .