Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[erikalui]

Gladly they did not manage to reach 500 runs else the first innings was a lose cause then. Underestimated the SA players a lot but they proved to be good even on Indian surfaces. Agarwal missed the chance and already 3 wickets gone with 310 lead. I don't think they will even manage to reach 350 as only one day is left and 2-3 hours of play today. They will need to put up atleast 200 more runs (510) before declaring but likely this will end as a draw match. The first day's missed time has lead to this.

[Haunebu]

No no no.... 250 would be very much achievable for South Africa, with Elgar, de Kock and du Plessis in the squad. I would be looking at a lead of 350, which would give India a 90% chance of win (provided that it doesn't rain). Anyway the lead has crossed 250 already and India is leading by 283 right now. Some 25-30 overs remains for today. If India could get another 80 runs within the next 15 overs, then it would give them 10-15 overs today, and another 90 overs tomorrow. I still don't know why they are not going all out at the South African bowlers, as they have 8 wickets in hand. Pujara scored runs quickly during the 2nd session, but not before wasting a lot of balls earlier.

You are right. I thought that India would declare quickly, but guess I was wrong. Looks like they might declare at 400 now and this would convert into an ODI match tomorrow where South Africa would need to chase down such a mammoth total in a single day.

As long as it doesn't rain, India will win this one and all credit goes to Sharma and Ashwin for demonstrating why experience matters in this young Indian side. Very happy with the performance of both teams though.

[akhjob]

So the target for South Africa is 395 and 13 overs left for today's play. Looks like we'll have a result afterall. Either India or SA winning. If its the later, then everyone is going to blame Kohli 

[eaLiTy]

You are right. I thought that India would declare quickly, but guess I was wrong. Looks like they might declare at 400 now and this would convert into an ODI match tomorrow where South Africa would need to chase down such a mammoth total in a single day.

India is attacking with their spin duo and South Africa will try to survive the entire day rather than going for a win. It is clear that South Africa cannot win the match but they will try their best to prolong the match and get a draw, they already lost Elgar to Jadeja and if India is able to pick wickets at regular intervals we will have a result.

As long as it doesn't rain, India will win this one and all credit goes to Sharma and Ashwin for demonstrating why experience matters in this young Indian side. Very happy with the performance of both teams though.

If India is able to pick wickets and put pressure on the South African players then there is a chance to win and we should not need any rain interruption too if we are to see any result.

[JSRAW]

You are right. I thought that India would declare quickly, but guess I was wrong. Looks like they might declare at 400 now and this would convert into an ODI match tomorrow where South Africa would need to chase down such a mammoth total in a single day.

India is attacking with their spin duo and South Africa will try to survive the entire day rather than going for a win. It is clear that South Africa cannot win the match but they will try their best to prolong the match and get a draw, they already lost Elgar to Jadeja and if India is able to pick wickets at regular intervals we will have a result.

As long as it doesn't rain, India will win this one and all credit goes to Sharma and Ashwin for demonstrating why experience matters in this young Indian side. Very happy with the performance of both teams though.

If India is able to pick wickets and put pressure on the South African players then there is a chance to win and we should not need any rain interruption too if we are to see any result.

Virat needs to go with attacking field, unlike the first inning where he went into defensive mode, and Indians can't afford sloppy fielding this time if they want to win the game. Also, I hope Virat use Shami much better tomorrow. he is capable of picking at least one wicket with the old ball (reverse swing).

But in the end, it all depends on Ashwin-Jadeja's performance. otherwise Draw and 1% for SA's win.

Stump Mic, Just for lol  (Hindi-Urdu): https://vocaroo.com/i/s0B8Jp25MjOq

[7788bitcoin]

Virat needs to go with attacking field, unlike the first inning where he went into defensive mode, and Indians can't afford sloppy fielding this time if they want to win the game. Also, I hope Virat use Shami much better tomorrow. he is capable of picking at least one wicket with the old ball (reverse swing).

I saw many dropped chances and the ball landing in empty spaces in the first innings of South Africa and if India continue that performance in the fourth innings you cannot expect a result in this match, the pitch will be helping the Indian spinners and i expected the captain to attack from the start and now South Africa lost their first wicket and we need a huge innings from their captain to draw this test.

But in the end, it all depends on Ashwin-Jadeja's performance. otherwise Draw and 1% for SA's win.

For India to win Ashwin and Jadeja are the prime factors and i do not see South Africa winning this match but they can try their best to draw this one.

[Vishnu.Reang]

For India to win Ashwin and Jadeja are the prime factors and i do not see South Africa winning this match but they can try their best to draw this one.

Obviously.. it is the 5th day and I guess 80% to 90% of the overs will be bowled by the spinners. Even during the South African first innings, only 34 overs out of the total 131 overs were bowled by the pacers. The pitch is not offering any support for the pacers, and therefore there is no point in giving them too many overs. Also Bumrah is not there. He was one of those bowlers who has the capability to perform even on flat tracks.

[Sithara007]

There is 50/50 chance or a win by India or a draw. 90 overs remains tomorrow (if there is no rain), and India needs to get 9 wickets for a win. South Africa survived for 131 overs in their first innings, but doing the same on the 5th day may prove much more difficult. That said a lot will depend on whether any of the other bowlers are able to give support for Ashwin. South Africa has some very experienced batsmen and in the past they have managed to survive against very adverse conditions.

[erikalui]

SA will easily win this match. Tomorrow's whole day of play and they have Knock and du Plessis who could easily get them the required runs. They should have atleast played till the end of the day and declare tomorrow. Why to declare before reaching 450? With Kohli batting, 50 runs was so possible today. I feel India will most probably lose this match unless Ashwin manages to take the big wickets. Glad that atleast Elgar the danger man is out.

[SaShiRaJaVu]

SA will easily win this match. Tomorrow's whole day of play and they have Knock and du Plessis who could easily get them the required runs. They should have atleast played till the end of the day and declare tomorrow.

Are you serious  . South Africa require another 384 runs to win the match and just 9 wickets remaining and the pitch will be difficult to bat in the final day and you expect them to score at a run rate of 4.2 in the final day of a Test match, how long are you watching Test matches to believe that  ,
If South Africa win the match i will shave my head half and post my picture in this thread  . There is zero percent chance for South Africa to win this Test match, we might see a draw if they can defend but i highly doubt as India will be attacking from the start tomorrow morning.

[FIFA worldcup]

SA will easily win this match. Tomorrow's whole day of play and they have Knock and du Plessis who could easily get them the required runs. They should have atleast played till the end of the day and declare tomorrow. Why to declare before reaching 450? With Kohli batting, 50 runs was so possible today. I feel India will most probably lose this match unless Ashwin manages to take the big wickets. Glad that atleast Elgar the danger man is out.

You are asking too much from south africa. They can't make 384 against Indian bowling attack. I fear that if they lose some early wickets, they might find it difficult to survive this match however if they play the first session safely, then this match would be draw.

If South Africa win the match i will shave my head half and post my picture in this thread  .

I hope a miracle happens and we get to see your shaved head picture. 

[erikalui]

Are you serious  . South Africa require another 384 runs to win the match and just 9 wickets remaining and the pitch will be difficult to bat in the final day and you expect them to score at a run rate of 4.2 in the final day of a Test match, how long are you watching Test matches to believe that  ,
If South Africa win the match i will shave my head half and post my picture in this thread  . There is zero percent chance for South Africa to win this Test match, we might see a draw if they can defend but i highly doubt as India will be attacking from the start tomorrow morning.

Have you forgotten England's nearly-impossible chase against one of the strongest teams Australia? Here they have 90 overs to chase down 384 runs and plus they managed to get 431 runs in the first innings despite of losing 3 wickets in 20 overs. They need a RR of just over 4 to win the match which isn't actually impossible but they do have a chance to win. Even if they don't manage to get the runs but just manage to have wickets in hand, it will be a draw. I am not so confident of there being absolutely no chances for a win. Even an ODI match win would be possible in just 50 overs on Indian pitches.

I hope what you are predicting comes true but this is cricket. Don't underestimate the opponent that much. And please don't shave your head for a match lol

[teosanru]

SA will easily win this match. Tomorrow's whole day of play and they have Knock and du Plessis who could easily get them the required runs. They should have atleast played till the end of the day and declare tomorrow. Why to declare before reaching 450? With Kohli batting, 50 runs was so possible today. I feel India will most probably lose this match unless Ashwin manages to take the big wickets. Glad that atleast Elgar the danger man is out.

I think you might be mistake about the whole game of test cricket. This is how things work. If you don't give the other team an opportunity to win the game they go on to draw the game. If India would have batted to take trail upto 500 South Africa would have known in first instance that nothing is left in a match as 500 in day is next to impossible so all they would have done is batted too defensively without taking a bit of risk and with the first innings batting no one can doubt their potential to bat whole day without taking any risks.

By declaring with a few over still left in the day South Africa would still try to achieve 395 as they would think it's achievable and go for some risky shots which could turn the game into India's favour. 395 in a day is still much more than what is achievable so don't you worry about South Africa winning because 400 runs in a day means batting at a Run rate of more than 4 which can be pretty dangerous in the last innings. waiting until end of day would have made it a dead draw as there would have been zero effort by South Africa and the type of pitch this has been Indians would have struggled for wickets. I think it was a great strategic decision by Virat to keep the match alive. I think actual sport is played in the minds of team rather than on the field.

[7788bitcoin]

I hope what you are predicting comes true but this is cricket. Don't underestimate the opponent that much. And please don't shave your head for a match lol

South Africa is a good opponent in their home ground and i have not seen them perform well in spinning tracks and India is preparing pitches that will suite their strength and tomorrow is the final day and the pitch will be having patches and tears that will turn irrespective of the way they ball and hence it will be difficult to face.

@SaShiRaJaVu it is a bold step to go half bald in a public forum and i wish South Africa win the match to see how you value your words  .

[UmerIdrees]

If South Africa win the match i will shave my head half and post my picture in this thread  .

[eaLiTy]

By declaring with a few over still left in the day South Africa would still try to achieve 395 as they would think it's achievable and go for some risky shots which could turn the game into India's favour.

The declaration was a good decision by India to attack the South African players and they have already taken a wicket and it will be difficult for South Africa to face the Indian spinners the entire day which is not an easy task for any players and that too on the final day. India could have went with three specialist spinners as the pitch is helping the spinners really well. First session will determine whether we will see a draw or a win.

[vella85]

It will be an interesting day 5 as SA do have the confident's now if they want to go for the win however they have lost their best batsman from the 1st innings so it will be hard for them. If India get a few early wickets then we will see SA try and play for the draw but if SA can form a partnership without losing wickets then we could see another come from behind win this year like we saw in the Ashes however it will be harder with the way the pitch is in this match.

[Sithara007]

South Africa require another 384 for a win and India needs 9 wickets. India was playing psychological tricks on South Africa. Note that they declared with a lead of 395. Most of the teams would have declared after achieving targets such as 400 or 450. Now the target looks less than 400 on paper, and this can give a sense of false confidence for the South Africans.

But South Africans are not falling in to this trap. Yesterday, they scored at a rate of 1.2 runs per over, meaning that they are no longer interested in chasing the target. They are only trying to survive the 5th day and take this match to a draw. A draw against India, and that too in a flat track like the one we had in Visakhapatnam is as good as a win for the Proteas.

[SaShiRaJaVu]

Have you forgotten England's nearly-impossible chase against one of the strongest teams Australia?

The team England had in that Test with Australia was with players who have a one day strike rate of over 100 and you think they will not try to chase a total that can be chased, do you see any players who could go after the Indian spinners in their team if so you can say that there is a possibility, what is the only weakness South Africa had after coming back to international cricket in 1992, they are not known to play spin that well.

~snip

Sure i will shave my head like that if South Africa wins .

[romero121]

Three wickets have fallen for South Africa scoring just 20 runs. Very early wickets makes the innings worse, right now Du Plessis have joined Markram. They need to make a strong partnership to make the match end up in a draw. Further if there falls wickets before 100 runs we can see the second innings of South Africa getting over within 200 runs.