Team India may play more Tests, after all

[sohum]

The experienced batsman don't struggle, but younger ones do.

How does that matter? Our next few tours are going to feature this batting line-up and by saying that our experienced batsman don't struggle, you have either contradicted or repealed your statement that our team has struggled overseas on bouncy wickets.

 

[Cricketman]

The experienced batsman don't struggle, but younger ones do. In the ODIs players like Manoj Tiwary....

Tiwary's whole Australian situation was a farce. He was called up to replace some injured player and was told he was in the starting XI two hours after he landed. He was jet lagging, India were five down very quickly, facing Brett Lee at his absolute best and got a scintillating yorker first up.

He has never been back in Indian colors since. Pathetic.

 

[SaiSrini]

Your batsman may not like the extra bounce of the South African pitches. That has often been the probable for teams from the Sub Continent, they are not used the the extra bounce and it turns the bouncer into a deadly weapon.

The bouncer is a problem only for a select few of our players (e.g. Ganguly, Raina, both of whom are not there in the test team now). Our players on the contrary, enjoy bounce because it gives them more freedom to play their shots. Only thing our players dont like is lateral movement. If you mix that along with bounce, it becomes deadly.

India take sometime getting used to overseas conditions (because they mostly play on flat and slow 'n low tracks) but our 'getting used to' time has drastically improved over the past years. And that reflects in our performance in overseas conditions ever since Saurav Ganguly took over as captain.

SaiSrini added 2 Minutes and 26 Seconds later...

Wasn't the 1-1 where Mcgrath and warne were injured or something.

Your team was still very very strong without those players. And I am not sure if the result would have been too different had these two players played (esp. Warne who has not been as successful against India). McGrath would have made a minor difference, but if we get into "if's and but's", then India also can play that card in their favor in many other series.

 

[rocky_g]

The experienced batsman don't struggle, but younger ones do. In the ODIs players like Manoj Tiwary and Rohit Sharma took a while to start scoring because of the bounce.

In the test side it has all been older players in recent times.

Check ponting's records in India. okthxbye.

 

[Cricketdude]

Your team was still very very strong without those players. And I am not sure if the result would have been too different had these two players played (esp. Warne who has not been as successful against India). McGrath would have made a minor difference, but if we get into "if's and but's", then India also can play that card in their favor in many other series.

Mcgrath would have made a minor difference? ok, I'll say that the next time India have a star bowler missing, if they ever get one.
How do you know India would have flogged him easily in Australia? Maybe the extra bounce Warne gets in Australia would propel his team to victory.

 

[shravi]

Mcgrath would have made a minor difference? ok, I'll say that the next time India have a star bowler missing, if they ever get one.
How do you know India would have flogged him easily in Australia? Maybe the extra bounce Warne gets in Australia would propel his team to victory.

Ifs and buts do not count, my friend.

 

[SaiSrini]

The SA players have also supported this idea of having two tests and 3 ODI's instead of only "5 ODI's". I think its almost confirmed that SA will play two tests when they tour India. So we will play 7 tests in 2010 (2 vs Bangladesh + 2 vs SA + 3 vs New Zealand). Not a bad number in the end and should give us some chance to retain the No. 1 ranking by our own game.

 

[angryangy]

The only grounds in the world right now where I'd be happy to say that pace and bounce are consistently exceptional nowadays are The Wanderers and the Gabba. I suppose if you lose 1 match as a result then it is a big deal, but home sides aren't above losing these sorts of games.

What I'd be more worried about for India in South Africa is simple technique and resilience. There have been a few examples where India just seem to collapse against a good new ball spell. There are times to score heavily too, so being able to avert a collapse in South Africa is critical.

 

[aditya123]

The only grounds in the world right now where I'd be happy to say that pace and bounce are consistently exceptional nowadays are The Wanderers and the Gabba. I suppose if you lose 1 match as a result then it is a big deal, but home sides aren't above losing these sorts of games.

Exactly. However, one thing which India have going for them these days as opposed to the 90s when we got stereotyped as pussycats abroad is that we now have a pace attack which can inflict as much damage to the opposition if given a track with seam,pace or bounce.On a track which offers something right through the game, our bowling can do as much damage as athe opposition as SA found out at the Wanderers in 2006/2007. When it comes to batting collapses, we sometimes collapse even on flat wickets like we did at Ahmedabad against Sri Lanka in this series. Its better to collapse or get out for a 200 score on a green wicket than to do so on a flat one.

 

[rahuldravidfan]

We have the team to beat any side in the world, be it on our day or theirs. Speaks volumes about the improvement we've made from the 90s

 

[aditya123]

The SA players have also supported this idea of having two tests and 3 ODI's instead of only "5 ODI's". I think its almost confirmed that SA will play two tests when they tour India. So we will play 7 tests in 2010 (2 vs Bangladesh + 2 vs SA + 3 vs New Zealand). Not a bad number in the end and should give us some chance to retain the No. 1 ranking by our own game.

And 3 tests against SA in SA in Dec 2010 as well.

 

[SaiSrini]

How many of those 3 tests will be in 2010? I think that tour will spill over into 2011 too, right? Even if we have 1 test from that included, we play 8 tests in 2010 which is not a bad number at all.

 

[rahuldravidfan]

I believe it might well be a split tour. They'll first tour us and play Tests. They'll come back in a few months and play ODIs

 

[Mihir Doshi]

India will in the end play good amount.. only indian team schedule isnt made so far.. So india will definately play more

 

[rahuldravidfan]

Hope so. It'll sure be a treat to watch