England in India 2021

You're not serious are you?

Root and Stokes would walk into the Indian team and Crawley has done more in test cricket than Gill so far. Pant and Buttler is a 50-50 call.
Yes, very serious. Hence me saying Root & Stokes and no one else. Our openers have proved nothing really. Pant over Buttler on recent Test form isn't close.
 
What’s going on with ishan kishan,

I’d still say it’s a lot closer than you’re making it. Pant over buttler is not an easy choice for me and probably others. I’d definitely take root and kohli first ahead of the rest and work from there
Ok, all about opinions isn't it.
 
Yes, very serious. Hence me saying Root & Stokes and no one else. Our openers have proved nothing really. Pant over Buttler on recent Test form isn't close.
Crawley got a 250 three games ago.

Buttler got a big hundred in that same game and won us a match with a brilliant knock in that same series. His recent test form is precisely what makes it close.
 
Yes, very serious. Hence me saying Root & Stokes and no one else. Our openers have proved nothing really. Pant over Buttler on recent Test form isn't close.

Forget Pant, I'd take Foakes over Buttler for tests all day. But because that top 6 is so horrendous, they need Buttler's marginally better batting over Foakes wildly superior keeping.

Root, Stokes, Jofra, Broad and Anderson. But the other 6 of a combined XI come from India, and comfortably so.
 
Crawley got a 250 three games ago.

Buttler got a big hundred in that same game and won us a match with a brilliant knock in that same series. His recent test form is precisely what makes it close.
Fair enough. I'd have Gill & Pujara with Root & Kohli to follow.
 
Not really a fan of the terminology used with Moeen "choosing to go home" for a pre-arranged break from the bubble with Buttler and Bairstow being "rested"
Me neither.

Perhaps they've had a disagreement in private and Root has chosen to take some sort of revenge by airing this in public. If so, it's not on.

All players should receive the same treatment and the same terminology.
 
Forget Pant, I'd take Foakes over Buttler for tests all day. But because that top 6 is so horrendous, they need Buttler's marginally better batting over Foakes wildly superior keeping.

Root, Stokes, Jofra, Broad and Anderson. But the other 6 of a combined XI come from India, and comfortably so.
I think it depends where you are playing obvs. In India you would take more Indian players & vice versa. Now if we were playing in neutral conditions like the UAE for example then that line up would be more interesting & favour India more imo.
 
Fair enough. I'd have Gill & Pujara with Root & Kohli to follow.
For me, when everyone is fit, the combined XI would be

Rohit
Crawley
Pujara
Kohli
Root
Stokes
Buttler/Pant
Ashwin
Archer
Bumrah
Anderson/Jadeja depending on conditions.

Feel free to agree or disagree.
 
For me, when everyone is fit, the combined XI would be

Rohit
Crawley
Pujara
Kohli
Root
Stokes
Buttler/Pant
Ashwin
Archer
Bumrah
Anderson/Jadeja depending on conditions.

Feel free to agree or disagree.
Yes this is what I will also go with. I have not seen enough of Crawley to put him so might go with Gill but it's matter of opinion so the line up would be almost similar.
 
I think it depends where you are playing obvs. In India you would take more Indian players & vice versa. Now if we were playing in neutral conditions like the UAE for example then that line up would be more interesting & favour India more imo.

The only change I'd make is to rotate Jofra, Broad and Anderson for another Indian spinner generally.
 
Forget Pant, I'd take Foakes over Buttler for tests all day. But because that top 6 is so horrendous, they need Buttler's marginally better batting over Foakes wildly superior keeping.

Root, Stokes, Jofra, Broad and Anderson. But the other 6 of a combined XI come from India, and comfortably so.

Broad and Jofra aren't better than Bumrah, unless you're planning to play with four pacers.
 
For me, when everyone is fit, the combined XI would be

Rohit
Crawley
Pujara
Kohli
Root
Stokes
Buttler/Pant
Ashwin
Archer
Bumrah
Anderson/Jadeja depending on conditions.

Feel free to agree or disagree.

I see Crawley as more of a 3 than an opener at Test level currently in which case Pujara is significantly better. So Gill, Crawley or Pujara for two positions. If you want a game changing keeper at 7 than Pant all day long over Buttler, again at Test level only. Edit - Bowlers I'd have Anderson over Archer definitely.
 
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Anderson is lot better than Archer. He gets in irrespective of the conditions imo.
 
Just for fun I would love to see Bumrah/Archer bowl in tandem in a proper seaming condition. But yes I would have Anderson just because he is class.
Archer's pace is too variable for my liking. Anderson & Bumrah are the shoe in's imo.
 
It really does matter where you’re playing.

Does it for most of a squad?

Rohit
xx
Pujara
Root
Kohli
Stokes
xx
Ashwin
xx
Anderson
Bumrah

Pretty strong consensus, only 1 slot really depends on where you are, maybe keeper too as I'd want the better keeper when I'm rocking two spinners, but I'd always vouch for the better keeper anyway.
 
Rohit has never hit a century outside of India. If he's a shoe in in all conditions it really speaks to the weakness of the other options.

For what it's worth, I think Gill has it in him to be the best of the 4 or 5 options both teams have, in not too many years I think he'll have the numbers too.
 
Rohit has never hit a century outside of India. If he's a shoe in in all conditions it really speaks to the weakness of the other options.

For what it's worth, I think Gill has it in him to be the best of the 4 or 5 options both teams have, in not too many years I think he'll have the numbers too.
I like the look of Gill.
 
Does it for most of a squad?

Rohit
xx
Pujara
Root
Kohli
Stokes
xx
Ashwin
xx
Anderson
Bumrah

Pretty strong consensus, only 1 slot really depends on where you are, maybe keeper too as I'd want the better keeper when I'm rocking two spinners, but I'd always vouch for the better keeper anyway.
Yeah I mean 30 years ago when I first started playing having a great wicket keeper was important but over the years it’s become more important to keep well but bat well also. The days of Godfrey Evans and Alan Knott and Paul Downton are well behind us now.

I have to say foakes was superb behind the stumps.

with regards to where you’re playing, I would never ever have more than one spinner in my starting X1 in England. You are wasting a spot playing with two spinners in England. So the pitch matters mostly in terms of bowlers but also some batsmen just struggle on certain types of wickets. Rohit is ok. If he hadn’t scored any runs last test would he still be in there immediately? It’s a discussion for sure it isn’t straight forward I don’t think.
 
I’m not a stat guru but didn’t Crawley and Sibley have better test starts than gill? (I actually don’t know the numbers)
 
Rohit has never hit a century outside of India. If he's a shoe in in all conditions it really speaks to the weakness of the other options.

For what it's worth, I think Gill has it in him to be the best of the 4 or 5 options both teams have, in not too many years I think he'll have the numbers too.
Wow I didn’t know that but it adds weight to the argument for sure. Why TF would you have a guy who has never hit a test century abroad, above anybody
 
Wow I didn’t know that but it adds weight to the argument for sure. Why TF would you have a guy who has never hit a test century abroad, above anybody

Yes because Crawley has a lot of centuries away from home too. Great stuff. Sibley and Burns have one centuries away from home too.

Buttler has done feck all in test to have him above Pant. How the feck is it even 50-50 :lol:
 
Yes because Crawley has a lot of centuries away from home too. Great stuff. Sibley and Burns have one centuries away from home too.

Buttler has done feck all in test to have him above Pant. How the feck is it even 50-50 :lol:
Yeah rohit has just started his career you’re right, so I guess that means they’re better than rohit
 
Yeah rohit has just started his career you’re right

Started opening a year or so ago. His competitiors are hardly great too.

Buttler has zero centuries away from home too. Pant has two. By your logic "Why TF would you have a guy who has never hit a test century abroad, above anybody"?
 
Started opening a year or so ago. His competitiors are hardly great too.

Buttler has zero centuries away from home too. Pant has two. By your logic "Why TF would you have a guy who has never hit a test century abroad, above anybody"?
And he’s how old? If you can’t see that we may as well quit this convo
 
And he’s how old? If you can’t see that we may as well quit this convo

What's age got to do with his quality?

Also and since you're not replying to that point how is Buttler-Pant 50-50?
 
What's age got to do with his quality?

Also and since you're not replying to that point how is Buttler-Pant 50-50?
Sorry poor use of words, how long has he been playing and in how many tests have they each played. I don’t know the numbers but assume rohit has played more tests than sibs and Crawley and therefore has had more chances to hit an away test century?
 
Pant is not better than butter, I’d have butler any day over him. That may change in 5 years but currently it isn’t even 50/50 for me (that was someone else’s take) I’m going full hog I’d take buttker ahead of him. For me it isn’t even 50/50
 

I have always kept wicket, at lower levels. Obviously, Foakes has been a revelation in this match and is a specialist keeper. However, I noticed Pant has been stretching when taking the bails off. This is a critical second lost when stumpings are going to be judged on millimetres. I am sure the coaches will have seen the issue and will get this addressed. Having short hands I personally think he needs to stand 6 inches closer to the stumps when keeping against the spinners.
 
Rohit Sharma.

VenueInnsNO100s50s0sHS RunsAvgS/RCaSt
Home​
24​
5​
7​
5​
1​
212​
1530​
80.53​
68.24​
11​
0​
Away​
37​
2​
0​
6​
3​
79​
945​
27.00​
47.95​
22​
0​
Overall​
61​
7​
7​
11​
4​
212​
2475​
45.83​
58.75​
39​
0​
 
I have always kept wicket, at lower levels. Obviously, Foakes has been a revelation in this match and is a specialist keeper. However, I noticed Pant has been stretching when taking the bails off. This is a critical second lost when stumpings are going to be judged on millimetres. I am sure the coaches will have seen the issue and will get this addressed. Having short hands I personally think he needs to stand 6 inches closer to the stumps when keeping against the spinners.
Good shout
 




Seemed like it was pre-agreed with Moeen but for some reason the ECB haven't outlined all their plans. I don't think Root is to blame here at all, the fault would be from the ECB who haven't always handled Moeen that well.

The new pitch in Ahmedabad and no-one is wiser how it will play out. I think Moeen would have been dropped for the next Test, anyway so going back home than sit in a hotel for a number of weeks is correct. He'll be back for the one-day games when he returns to India, which I think he is better suited.