South Africa v India

Sultan

Gentleness adorns everything
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26-12-2006 at Durban,

Day 1 of 5

India make no changes to the team, which seems a surprise.

Good start for India, taking three early wickets - SA are now getting back into the match.

Currently 92-3 after being 28-3.
 
To be fair, biased umpire should've given the correct decision to Boucher and Prince very early...

Also, what the feck is up with the umpire warning Shreesanth (was it?) and not Nel?

Umpiring's been well below average.
 
India 240 all out, could have been worse I suppose.

SA lead of 88.
 
ffs dravid wrongly given out for the second time in this match. lets just hope it rains all day tomorrow. there's no way in hell india can bat 3 sessions.
 
Well we need to excel at possibly what we're worst at. We just cant save games. It fecking never happens. With Dravid out this is as good as over. On to the third test. Still have a chance there, it will be a result pitch.
 
34-2 last I saw...Tendulkar and Laxman at the crease.

161 all out tomorrow...
 
Our opening pair's hit rock bottom form...almost as bad as the English ones, if not worse...and thats saying a lot.

I think Gambhir should've been in the team this time...and they should get one technically sound opener into this team who can see off the opening overs and get the score moving.
 
You won the 1st Test didn't you? Knowing India you'll feck the series up. As for england, I predicted a whitewash before the series had started. Still can't believe the way they've bent over backwards. Poofs.
 
It was pretty embarassing wasn't it...

But yeah I expect India to cave in easily tomorrow and lose by an innings or summat in the next Test unless atleast three of those big 5 at the top come up with big scores.

I think we've forgotten that we also have to score runs along with the keeping the good balls out bit...there was abysmal rotation of strike in the ODI's and in the 1st Test...Noone's stepped out to take ther challenge to the SA's with the bat...

The Aussies have that in their game...they know the sport so well they'd probably beat most teams blindfolded on their current form.
 
Pitches seem to be result conducive so you never know in the final test. Basically its the openers. They are a huge liability and in the middle order someone or the other has usually got a decent score, although they need to start converting. Sehwag and Jaffer are a fecking liability. I would have rather played Pathan as an opener instead of either. One looks like he just cant survive and the other even if he does gets nothing on the board and then gets out.

Gambhir im not sure about, the ball coming in would get him every time. Pathan would have been worth a shot IMO, but i guess going to domestic cricket is for his own good. Either way we should have gotten rid of the two uptop. And VRV should have been dropped. I cant believe they've stuck with him. I know generally you dont change a winning combination, but the guy never looks like getting a wicket.
 
Gambhir would be a better bet than Sehwag. Sehwag's been poor in the recent past - only way to describe his performance.

I reckon Pathan being sent back to India is probably good. Playing in the regional games did Zaheer a world of good, and hopefully it'll be the same for Pathan.

Also, reckon the umpires lost India the game (if India loses) and not the Indian team itself. Two decisions pro-SA in the first innnings, and two decisions against one of India's best batsmen...
 
amolbhatia100 said:
Pitches seem to be result conducive so you never know in the final test. Basically its the openers. They are a huge liability and in the middle order someone or the other has usually got a decent score, although they need to start converting. Sehwag and Jaffer are a fecking liability. I would have rather played Pathan as an opener instead of either. One looks like he just cant survive and the other even if he does gets nothing on the board and then gets out.

Gambhir im not sure about, the ball coming in would get him every time. Pathan would have been worth a shot IMO, but i guess going to domestic cricket is for his own good. Either way we should have gotten rid of the two uptop. And VRV should have been dropped. I cant believe they've stuck with him. I know generally you dont change a winning combination, but the guy never looks like getting a wicket.
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Gambhir was dropped because of his inability at the time to play the incoming deliveries well...he went bac to domestic cricket, pretty much thrashed everyone there showing that he's above that league.

He can score runs and he does it the right way...you can't judge his ability to play even before he gets a chance.

I'd give one of those TN batsman a chance if I was the selectors.The captain of the TN side...can't remember his name.Good technique and excellent domestic record.

Jaffer and Sehwag should be sent home.Munaf in for VRV in the next Test.
 
Donado said:
Jaffer and Sehwag should be sent home.Munaf in for VRV in the next Test.
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Cant argue with that. Whats irritating is that both are changes that are screaming out to be made. VRV never looked like getting wickets in either test. And thats been the case of half a dozen games hes played for india. Why would you keep him in the side?

Same goes for Jaffer and Sehwag. Never looked like doing anything of note. Playing Sehwag is like going in with a batsman less, and Jaffer is really the most painful to watch batsman i've seen. Someone forgot to tell him that its the batsman who score the runs. If he has to play in such a manner atleast put away the bad balls, and get past the 20s. Its like Dravid, without the technique, ability to put away poor deliveries and big hunger for runs.
 
vijay said:
Sending Sehwag home would be a suicide. We dont have an experienced player to replace him. As I have always said we are a one man team depending heavily on Rahul Dravid, particulary in the test matches. If he plays a poor series its curtains for India.
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Two things here:
1. Stats lie. Dravid wasn't out both times this game.
2. If either of the openers shouldered some responsibility, this would not be the outcome.

I agree - sending Sehwag back to India would be suicidal, for you never know when he'll come good. The question is, how long do you keep waiting? He's been in the team long enough to actually play responsibly. Might be a better idea to give some inexperienced youngster a shot at this...

Also, I think it's the Sachin-Dravid factor. Need either one of them to play well for there to be some kind of stability in the batting line-up.
 
vijay said:
Sending Sehwag home would be a suicide. We dont have an experienced player to replace him. As I have always said we are a one man team depending heavily on Rahul Dravid, particulary in the test matches. If he plays a poor series its curtains for India.
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What the feck are you on about? Pathan would have scored more than Sehwag. He makes the same mistakes game after game, doesnt seem to give a shit and needs to be given the boot. If we dont, we're never going get the best out of our players.

We arent a one man team at all. We won the last test with contributions from everyone, and i think barely any from Rahul. Hes important just like Sachin, Laxman etc are.
 
amolbhatia100 said:
What the feck are you on about? Pathan would have scored more than Sehwag. He makes the same mistakes game after game, doesnt seem to give a shit and needs to be given the boot. If we dont, we're never going get the best out of our players.
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In the series against Windies and South Africa Sehwag got the stick yet he managed to click and play crucial innings in the final test matches.

We arent a one man team at all. We won the last test with contributions from everyone, and i think barely any from Rahul. Hes important just like Sachin, Laxman etc are.
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Dravid is a cut above the rest. When was the last time Tendulkar scored 300+ runs in a three match series or 400+ runs in a five match series to call him an important player?
 
vijay said:
Has batty boy absconded again? Probably summing up Sachin's runs with his fingers, hoping to hit back if it crosses 300.
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hehe not quite.
How many full test series has Sachin actually played in the last 2 years?
Anyways i dont deny he hasnt been the player he once was.
 
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