Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[mm2543363580]

If something extraordinary doesn't happen. The match between Zimbabwe and West Indies will be drawn. West Indies played well in the first innings and posted a good total. Zimbabwe played well as well. West Indies declared in 2nd innings by scoring and giving an interesting target. If Zimbabwe wants to win the match, they have to take a risk to score quick runs. If they take risks, West Indies will try to get some wickets and turn it into their game as well. Zimbabwe already lost four wickets and it seems they are not going to try to win the match.

The match ended in a draw, though West Indies were just 4 wickets away from victory. Zimbabwe made 379 runs in first innings while they were 134/6 in there second innings. Gudakesh Motie took 4 wickets and took West Indies very close to victory. There were 4 debutant from Zimbabwe in this test match. Zimbabwe would be happy with this draw. One more test in queue.

If the match had not been delayed due to rain, Zimbabwe would have definitely lost this match. Because the two openers of West Indies batted brilliantly in the first innings. The Zimbabwean squad is inexperienced. And so they were far behind the West Indies players both in terms of batting and bowling. However, they are happy that Zimbabwe managed to draw this match. This is a very good result for Zimbabwe. But in the next match I will definitely expect West Indies to win. They are in pretty good form now.

West Indies performance was far ahead of Zimbabwe in 1st Test match the rain saved them from losing this match . Otherwise batting wise westindies was very good and so is balling . They had already took 6 wickets in 2nd innings before match was declared a draw.

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[WatChe]

If the match had not been delayed due to rain, Zimbabwe would have definitely lost this match. Because the two openers of West Indies batted brilliantly in the first innings. The Zimbabwean squad is inexperienced. And so they were far behind the West Indies players both in terms of batting and bowling. However, they are happy that Zimbabwe managed to draw this match. This is a very good result for Zimbabwe. But in the next match I will definitely expect West Indies to win. They are in pretty good form now.

Zimbabwe had a decent total in there first innings but second innings was totally inverse. West Indies have an opening partnership of 337 runs in first innings. I would say both teams have played well in first innings but in second innings it was West indies who was on top. Zimbabwe is playing test series after a long period so we need them some time to adjust in this format. West Indies definitely is better side then Zimbabwe in test.

[justdimin]

Lol this pitch giving nightmares to Australian media and fans. They already started saying that this is an unfair pitch as the Australian team has 5 left-handers in their top 7 lmao.

I have feeling Aussies are playing mind games as this is their usual business specially while they are going to visit England or India as right now these two teams are well settled and have ability to beat them at any venue, so their media is also giving them good coverage for this hype which is not going to help them for having any positive impact from this all because things looking good and most chances both teams batters will struggle here even Aussies are without any quality spinners, but things can go into any teams way.

No doubt everyone loves this hype about cricket from Aussies as they are on big tour and most chances they are going to lose BGT fourth time in a row which is also humiliated for them.

[BobK71]

If the match had not been delayed due to rain, Zimbabwe would have definitely lost this match. Because the two openers of West Indies batted brilliantly in the first innings. The Zimbabwean squad is inexperienced. And so they were far behind the West Indies players both in terms of batting and bowling. However, they are happy that Zimbabwe managed to draw this match. This is a very good result for Zimbabwe. But in the next match I will definitely expect West Indies to win. They are in pretty good form now.

Zimbabwe had a decent total in there first innings but second innings was totally inverse. West Indies have an opening partnership of 337 runs in first innings. I would say both teams have played well in first innings but in second innings it was West indies who was on top. Zimbabwe is playing test series after a long period so we need them some time to adjust in this format. West Indies definitely is better side then Zimbabwe in test.

West Indies team is far ahead from Zimbabwe in every format of cricket like Test, ODI and T20. They also have more experience in test cricket as well. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, have only qualified for the Tests, so they need a long time to improve their position in the Test cricket. Zimbabwe is now ranked as the 10th position of 10 test cricket teams. The first test match between Zimbabwe vs West Indies ended by a drawn.

[wiss19]

The match ended in a draw, though West Indies were just 4 wickets away from victory. Zimbabwe made 379 runs in first innings while they were 134/6 in there second innings. Gudakesh Motie took 4 wickets and took West Indies very close to victory. There were 4 debutant from Zimbabwe in this test match. Zimbabwe would be happy with this draw. One more test in queue.

If the match had not been delayed due to rain, Zimbabwe would have definitely lost this match. Because the two openers of West Indies batted brilliantly in the first innings. The Zimbabwean squad is inexperienced. And so they were far behind the West Indies players both in terms of batting and bowling. However, they are happy that Zimbabwe managed to draw this match. This is a very good result for Zimbabwe. But in the next match I will definitely expect West Indies to win. They are in pretty good form now.

Completely agreed with you as we lost nearly 65 overs in this test match due to first day rain and this was the difference between result and draw as West Indies done good fight back in last day play and have good chance of winning this match but still they need improvement in their bowling which is not helping them for having 20 wickets in test match and this is surely problem for them in future as well.

Here Zimbabwe is surely beneficial with this draw as they are done good job in first inning even they were badly struggling in second inning but still good job form their batting lineup for saving this test match, and now we are heading for the second test match which could be better from this one as now weather is also good, and we have chance of full five days game.

[JSRAW]

Lol this pitch giving nightmares to Australian media and fans. They already started saying that this is an unfair pitch as the Australian team has 5 left-handers in their top 7 lmao.

Loving the premature comments. They should be hopeful that with such a pitch they have a more or less equal chance of winning the match.

I am telling you this pitch would be a nightmare for every batter. Knowing the Australian side I know how well they play spin. For a change, I am happy they will be experiencing a pitch suitable for the spinners. They are more accustomed to bouncy pitches whereas this pitch will test their batting skills so it will also be for Indian batters. Who wins the toss will be important on this pitch. I hope luck favors Rohit! I also have a hunch that this test match will be over before the 5th day.

In cricket, it is an accepted rule that wickets should favor them, but does this seem especially extreme? On Twitter, Nagpur pitch pictures have gone viral.

The pitch is clearly rigged in India's favor. There may be four spinners in India's lineup, while the rest of Australia's top order is left-handed. As a result, we cannot ignore the claims of most Australian experts regarding the difficulty of this pitch for Australian batters.

However, it will be interesting to see what the ICC says later since the pitch might rate low or below average.

Aussie and Poms are saying this since the 70s so nothing new here.

The good thing is players and the vast majority of fans from these 2 countries stopped talking about pitches, it's just the media, the old guard and a few former cricketers making regular noise.

You would never hear such comments from the Indian side when they tour SENA countries. In fact, the complete ecosystem will shit on their player if they fail and focus on how to improve their performance instead of crying about the pitch.

[Vaskiy]

Lol this pitch giving nightmares to Australian media and fans. They already started saying that this is an unfair pitch as the Australian team has 5 left-handers in their top 7 lmao.

Loving the premature comments. They should be hopeful that with such a pitch they have a more or less equal chance of winning the match.

I am telling you this pitch would be a nightmare for every batter. Knowing the Australian side I know how well they play spin. For a change, I am happy they will be experiencing a pitch suitable for the spinners. They are more accustomed to bouncy pitches whereas this pitch will test their batting skills so it will also be for Indian batters. Who wins the toss will be important on this pitch. I hope luck favors Rohit! I also have a hunch that this test match will be over before the 5th day.

In cricket, it is an accepted rule that wickets should favor them, but does this seem especially extreme? On Twitter, Nagpur pitch pictures have gone viral.

The pitch is clearly rigged in India's favor. There may be four spinners in India's lineup, while the rest of Australia's top order is left-handed. As a result, we cannot ignore the claims of most Australian experts regarding the difficulty of this pitch for Australian batters.

However, it will be interesting to see what the ICC says later since the pitch might rate low or below average.

Aussie and Poms are saying this since the 70s so nothing new here.

The good thing is players and the vast majority of fans from these 2 countries stopped talking about pitches, it's just the media, the old guard and a few former cricketers making regular noise.

You would never hear such comments from the Indian side when they tour SENA countries. In fact, the complete ecosystem will shit on their player if they fail and focus on how to improve their performance instead of crying about the pitch.

In the past pitches were given much importance. The same mentality continues with the old players whereas the new generation just try to do what is being assigned to them unlike the ground. With most of the matches the crowd used to be a big support for India than any other countries. Nowadays ground selection have got connected with superstition that the lucky one used to be chosen for the last match.

[Sithara007]

Aussie and Poms are saying this since the 70s so nothing new here.

The good thing is players and the vast majority of fans from these 2 countries stopped talking about pitches, it's just the media, the old guard and a few former cricketers making regular noise.

You would never hear such comments from the Indian side when they tour SENA countries. In fact, the complete ecosystem will shit on their player if they fail and focus on how to improve their performance instead of crying about the pitch.

Australians can't do much about the pitches. India will create dustbowls that will favor their spinners. But then, Australia can't retaliate by making pace-friendly pitches when India tours that country. Because India do have some very good seamers, who can destroy the Australians if they do so. Gone are the days when Australia used to have legendary pacers such as Lee, McGrath and Gillespie. Now they have a bunch of buffoons like Starc and Cummins. The best thing for them to do will be to focus on their game, rather than make too much noise about the pitch.

IMO, Australia should rather focus on their strengths. Smith and Labuschagne are in very good form, although I don't know how comfortable the latter is when he is dealing with the spinners. Their pacers do have experience from the IPL, so the pitches in India should not look too alien for them. Anyway, Australia will start the series as underdogs, with low expectation.

[JSRAW]

Aussie and Poms are saying this since the 70s so nothing new here.

The good thing is players and the vast majority of fans from these 2 countries stopped talking about pitches, it's just the media, the old guard and a few former cricketers making regular noise.

You would never hear such comments from the Indian side when they tour SENA countries. In fact, the complete ecosystem will shit on their player if they fail and focus on how to improve their performance instead of crying about the pitch.

Australians can't do much about the pitches. India will create dustbowls that will favor their spinners. But then, Australia can't retaliate by making pace-friendly pitches when India tours that country. Because India do have some very good seamers, who can destroy the Australians if they do so. Gone are the days when Australia used to have legendary pacers such as Lee, McGrath and Gillespie. Now they have a bunch of buffoons like Starc and Cummins. The best thing for them to do will be to focus on their game, rather than make too much noise about the pitch.

IMO, Australia should rather focus on their strengths. Smith and Labuschagne are in very good form, although I don't know how comfortable the latter is when he is dealing with the spinners. Their pacers do have experience from the IPL, so the pitches in India should not look too alien for them. Anyway, Australia will start the series as underdogs, with low expectation.

Main problem with SENA countries is they are not willing to produce good spinners and good batters of spin, barring a few exceptions. India started producing good seamers that's why they are competitive in SENA.

Anyway, lots of talk of Left-hand batters matching up against the Indian spinners and both openers lost their wickets against seamers. Having said that Aussie won a good toss so this would be a relief for them as India will bat last.

They are the number 1 team atm so i won't say underdog because they are in hot form as a team.

[pakhitheboss]

Australia had a bad start as they lost 2 wickets in quick succession early in the match. It now seems that both Smith and Labuschagne are slowly turning the match. Indian spin is not looking that affective for now, may be after the lunch we might see some wickets taken by the spinners.

Good to see SKY and Bharat given an opportunity in this match. If KL Rahul was not selected as the VC of Indian team then I am pretty sure Shubman Gill would have been playing in today's match. India need to win all the 3 test matches in order to qualify for the Test World Cup.

[Haunebu]

Great start by the Indians. Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar are a deadly combo together while Siraj is in prime form these days. Labuschagne and Smith are playing well at the moment and they can screw India if their partnership keeps growing.

Am expecting one of the spinners to break their partnership. Evenly contested match so far!

[Sithara007]

So far so good for the Australians. First of all, they managed to win the toss (which can be very crucial in deciding the outcome of the match). The fact that they don't need to bat during the 4th innings should give them a psychological advantage. And so far, the combination of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith have handled the Indian spinners relatively well. They were 2/2 at one point, and now they have crawled to 76/2. If these two can stay there till tea, then it will give an undeniable advantage to the Australians. BTW, Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb are next in line.

[JSRAW]

~edited~
It now seems that both Smith and Labuschagne are slowly turning the match. Indian spin is not looking that affective for now, may be after the lunch we might see some wickets taken by the spinners.

Good to see SKY and Bharat given an opportunity in this match. If KL Rahul was not selected as the VC of Indian team then I am pretty sure Shubman Gill would have been playing in today's match. India need to win all the 3 test matches in order to qualify for the Test World Cup.

World number 1 and 2 batters are allowed to play well even against quality bowling  lol they are at top for a reason.

So far there is no demon on the pitch as there is no inconsistent bounce or turn and batters need to apply themselves, that's what these 2 are doing.

I didn't like SKY's inclusion in the playing XI but i guess he's there for X-factor in absence of Pant. If by any chance he clicks then he can give you quick runs and that's what management is hoping.

[Minor Miner]

So far so good for the Australians. First of all, they managed to win the toss (which can be very crucial in deciding the outcome of the match). The fact that they don't need to bat during the 4th innings should give them a psychological advantage. And so far, the combination of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith have handled the Indian spinners relatively well. They were 2/2 at one point, and now they have crawled to 76/2. If these two can stay there till tea, then it will give an undeniable advantage to the Australians. BTW, Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb are next in line.

Australia stumbled in the beginning with the decision to bat after winning the toss. Openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja both got out for just 1 run. Australia lost two wickets for just two runs in 2.1 overs. When the opponent is a strong team like India, the top order players should definitely perform well. It is very difficult to collect big if the top order does not play well.

The Australia team managed to collect 84 runs. Labuschange is batting very responsibly. He scored 49 runs unbeaten. On the other hand, Smith scored only 25 runs off 84 balls. He is batting amazingly.

[pakhitheboss]

World number 1 and 2 batters are allowed to play well even against quality bowling  lol they are at top for a reason.

So far there is no demon on the pitch as there is no inconsistent bounce or turn and batters need to apply themselves, that's what these 2 are doing.

I didn't like SKY's inclusion in the playing XI but i guess he's there for X-factor in absence of Pant. If by any chance he clicks then he can give you quick runs and that's what management is hoping.

Two wickets again in quick succession. 4 down but the real danger Smith is still playing. This match is going to be an epic one that is for sure. I am happy that MR 360 got a chance in this test match. Whether he can be as agressive as Panth we will come to know most probably by tomorrow. I also feel that if he performs then the management might  give him more responsibility like make him the VC if test team too in the coming years. At the moment on the field it looks like Rohit is the captain and Kohli is the vice captain 

[Sithara007]

The Australia team managed to collect 84 runs. Labuschange is batting very responsibly. He scored 49 runs unbeaten. On the other hand, Smith scored only 25 runs off 84 balls. He is batting amazingly.

Australia in deep trouble now. Both Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne are now back in pavilion. Ravindrasingh Jadeja has taken 3 out of the 5 wickets to fall so far. The partnership between Smith and Labuschagne gave an impression that Australia may make a comeback, but then the latter got out to an unnecessary shot. Now it is Handscomb and Carey at the crease. Australia looking perilous at 109/5 and may not even manage to get to a total of 200. Looks as if the outcome of the first test has been already decided in the first two sessions of play.

[ZAINmalik75]

Australia vs India
Australia win the toss and  choose to bat , they taught they will score a lot but unfortunately in just 47th over five of his main batter are dismissed but indian bowler, no one score rather than smith and Marnus Labuschagne, when I saw the score board I taught India were playing with oman , what happen to Australian batter I don't expect such kind of bad performance, but at the end all credit goes to indian bowler who put them in trouble😎, now the only hope for Australia is wicket keeper batter Alex Carey and Peter Handscomb, hope they will put his team away from difficult situation..

[Sithara007]

The partnership between Carey and Handscomb is looking good and may help Australia to reach a decent total. Carey has so far scored at more than a run a ball for his 35, while Handscomb have been more cautious. As per news reports, Handscomb was selected solely because he is right-handed. But the strategy seems to be working.

LOL.. just when we thought that the Australians got going, they lost one more wicket. Ravichandran Ashwin strikes, and Alex Carey is bowled. Now Australia is reeling at 162/6. Handscomb badly needs some support from the lower order batsmen.

[pakhitheboss]

Australia in deep trouble now. Both Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne are now back in pavilion. Ravindrasingh Jadeja has taken 3 out of the 5 wickets to fall so far. The partnership between Smith and Labuschagne gave an impression that Australia may make a comeback, but then the latter got out to an unnecessary shot. Now it is Handscomb and Carey at the crease. Australia looking perilous at 109/5 and may not even manage to get to a total of 200. Looks as if the outcome of the first test has been already decided in the first two sessions of play.

Sir Jadeja at his best again! Another partnership getting destroyed before it bloomed by Ashwin. He was kind of getting desperate as he was not able get wicket. Took the crucial wicket of Carey. 6 wickets gone and Australia have managed to score 168 runs. India looking to restrict the Aussie within 250 and the way they are bowling they might be able to do it.

[WatChe]

The partnership between Carey and Handscomb is looking good and may help Australia to reach a decent total. Carey has so far scored at more than a run a ball for his 35, while Handscomb have been more cautious. As per news reports, Handscomb was selected solely because he is right-handed. But the strategy seems to be working.

LOL.. just when we thought that the Australians got going, they lost one more wicket. Ravichandran Ashwin strikes, and Alex Carey is bowled. Now Australia is reeling at 162/6. Handscomb badly needs some support from the lower order batsmen.

Wow. Just checked the scorecard and find out that India has destroyed Australian batting line up. Eight wickets have gone down on just 173 runs. Peter Handscomb is still on the crease but Alex Carey has been eliminated by Ravichandran Ashwin. 40 overs left in todays play. India will definalty try to bowl out Australia before 200 while Aussies will try to reach 225, thats the maximum they can do today in front of mighty Indian bowling.