Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Sithara007]

South Africa already lost their first wicket and for all the supporters who claim to give toss to the visiting players, the only way it will be a fair game will be if India pick the entire bowling line up with part time bowlers.  

I think the only option left with South Africa is to recall Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers to the test squad. These two players retired from the international cricket many years back and the South Africans haven't been able to replace them yet. Also, remember that de Villiers retired at the age of 33 and back then I was thinking that he had at least 4-5 years left.

In my opinion, the most significant question that can be asked is whether South Africa can avoid follow on or not. And I don't think that they will be able to score another 288 runs before they lose the remaining 8 wickets. A lot will depend on whether they will be able to avoid it or not. If they follows on, then there is no chance that they could save this match. It is going to be 3-0 for India. 

[onrise]

Already South Africa has lost the 2 wickets for 9 runs so it shows the current status of the South African team. I think they will not going to cross 200 runs mark so I hope the Indian team will be going to win the match with innings.

It looks like if India bats it will be a batting pitch and when ever South Africa bats it turns to a bowling friendly wicket  . I hope a couple of players play a long innings for South Africa if not we will see a complete change over in the team for the next series as none of the players are batting well.

I think the season is the main culprit here. A bit of rainy season with clouds can hamper all the play after 4. However we these days do sometimes see use of floods light to ensure play resumes until the stoppage time. Maybe rain is due tonight which is why we are seeing some clouds. As far as i can see Ranchi's weather forecast there is sort of an overcast situation.

I was watching the South African innings and i could not see any rain but the stadium was getting darker and hence the match is stopped, not sure about the location as it looks like it is a different climate than the usual tropical climate in India and if time is lost because of this and if South Africa could play a long innings then they could draw the match and rescue their face.

What a series going on for India. Always they have batted first and ensured they have good score on the board in first innings and put pressure in SA first innings and same happened now as well where SA have lost 2 quick wickets on a score of just 9 runs. Tomo if they can survive then it would good to watch else again India might clinch it.

[Haunebu]

Why Sarfraz does not come into your mind ?

Your mind need a bit of brain washing.  

Brain washing? Seriously? Sarfraz Khan is a great captain and a decent batsman, but I don't think he is a legend like Inzamam etc and JSRAW simply mentioned a few legends. Why make it personal?

You need to be happy that Misbah is trying his best to take Pakistan in the right direction here. Sarfaraz will still probably play for sometime though whether he wishes to play or not would be up to him.

[JSRAW]

In modern cricket only handful of players comes into my mind such as Kohli, Smith, Williamson and in some extent Joe Root who are worthy to watch in Test.

~Edited~

Why Sarfraz does not come into your mind ?

Your mind need a bit of brain washing.  

[eaLiTy]

Always they have batted first and ensured they have good score on the board in first innings and put pressure in SA first innings and same happened now as well where SA have lost 2 quick wickets on a score of just 9 runs. Tomo if they can survive then it would good to watch else again India might clinch it.

For a change i wanted South Africa to win the toss in the third test so that everyone can understand the real issue with the South African batting line up.
They lost the test series against Sri Lanka when they toured in this year and during that time South Africa lost the toss in the first match but was sent to bat first and they lost the match by one wicket in the second test they won the toss and they batted first and they scored 222 in the first innings and 128 in the second innings. What i am trying to tell is that if Srilanka can destroy South Africa in their home country how can anyone think that they can be competitive when they tour India in the form they are in.

In short, toss is not the issue here, South Africa have to find some talented players to fill in the ranks of legendary players they had in the past.

[bryant.coleman]

What a series going on for India. Always they have batted first and ensured they have good score on the board in first innings and put pressure in SA first innings and same happened now as well where SA have lost 2 quick wickets on a score of just 9 runs. Tomo if they can survive then it would good to watch else again India might clinch it.

The weather seems to be favoring South Africa. Only 58 overs of play was possible during the first day and 63 overs during the second day. We have three days remaining and the Proteas have just started their first innings. I would say that if South Africa somehow avoids the follow on, then they have a good chance to draw this match. If they can't manage even that, then let's just admit that South Africa is one of the worst performing test sides right now and move on to some other series.

But looking at how they batted today, I don't really think that South Africa will be able to avoid follow on. Both Elgar and de Kock are back in the pavillion. And this time, India has gone to the match with 3 spinners (Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindrasinh Jadeja and Shahbaz Nadeem). The Ranchi track is supportive of spin and unless some miracles occur, South Africa is done and dusted for good.

[UmerIdrees]

Why Sarfraz does not come into your mind ?

Your mind need a bit of brain washing.  

Brain washing? Seriously? Sarfraz Khan is a great captain and a decent batsman, but I don't think he is a legend like Inzamam etc and JSRAW simply mentioned a few legends. Why make it personal?

Yes Seriously    
I am talking about Sarfraz Ahmad





And you are talking about Sarfraz Khan




We are not on the same page  

[Sithara007]

And you are talking about Sarfraz Khan
We are not on the same page  

LOL... I think you have trolled Sarfaraz Ahmed to the limit. Now perhaps it is time to move on... unless you want to turn your attention to Sarfaraz Khan (who will be playing for Kings XI Punjab in the next IPL season).

BTW, Moin Khan has come out against Misbah-ul-Haq, after Sarfaraz got sacked as the captain. Moin has a point here. It was Sarfaraz Ahmed who took Pakistan to the no.1 slot in the T20 rankings. Sarfaraz  is the same guy who led Pakistan to 11 consecutive series victories in the T20 format. And now Misbah-ul Haq want to hide his own failures by making a scapegoat out of Sarfaraz. As per Moin, both Misbah and Waqar Younis held personal enemity against Sarfaraz.

[SaShiRaJaVu]

Moin Khan has come out against Misbah-ul-Haq, after Sarfaraz got sacked as the captain. Moin has a point here. It was Sarfaraz Ahmed who took Pakistan to the no.1 slot in the T20 rankings. Sarfaraz  is the same guy who led Pakistan to 11 consecutive series victories in the T20 format.

They won the ODI tournament against Srilanka and they lost the T20 series but to sack him completely was unwanted as you mentioned he took the team to the number one position and to win eleven consecutive series is not a small feat either.

And now Misbah-ul Haq want to hide his own failures by making a scapegoat out of Sarfaraz. As per Moin, both Misbah and Waqar Younis held personal enemity against Sarfaraz.

I have no idea when Misbah-ul Haq was appointed but what i understand from history is that if there is a disappointing series Pakistan usually sack their captain to get the heat off from the people and that is exactly they have done here.

[Haunebu]

Yes Seriously    
I am talking about Sarfraz Ahmad
And you are talking about Sarfraz Khan
We are not on the same page  

Lol. However, you know who I was talking about. You are probably a big fan of Sarfraz Ahmad(Did I get it right?) and I respect your opinion, but you need to respect others opinions too.

They won the ODI tournament against Srilanka and they lost the T20 series but to sack him completely was unwanted as you mentioned he took the team to the number one position and to win eleven consecutive series is not a small feat either.

True, but that was in the past and he has been failing as both a captain and as a batsman from quite a long time in recent times which is why this drastic change is justified in my opinion. Only time will tell if this was the right call though.

[AB de Royse777]

Lol. However, you know who I was talking about. You are probably a big fan of Sarfraz Ahmad(Did I get it right?) and I respect your opinion, but you need to respect others opinions too.

LOL
Just learnt that there is another Sarfraz in Pakistan team. What's the deal with this guy? Is he a new one or I missed him totally and playing in the squad for long time?

[vella85]

Its looking like a Whitewash for India in this series as SA are in big trouble already with 2 wickets down for just 9 runs. All the pressure is now on Faf du Plessis to help SA avoid the follow-on which is a long way away. Its been SA bowling performance that has let them down in this series while the Indian team has had an all round performance with the bat and ball which is why we see them in this position. I can't see this test match lasting 5 days, it will most likely be over on day 4 unless SA do something amazing.

[eaLiTy]

Its looking like a Whitewash for India in this series as SA are in big trouble already with 2 wickets down for just 9 runs. All the pressure is now on Faf du Plessis to help SA avoid the follow-on which is a long way away.

It is a hard task to score that much runs and the wicket is turning and gripping for the spinners, India will be attacking all the time and they have three spinners and Kolhi will rotate the fast bowlers efficiently. If there is ODI and T20 series after this then it might be competitive, you cannot blame the players as majority of them are new faces and they are playing in a pitch like this for the first time and against quality bowlers.

Its been SA bowling performance that has let them down in this series while the Indian team has had an all round performance with the bat and ball which is why we see them in this position. I can't see this test match lasting 5 days, it will most likely be over on day 4 unless SA do something amazing.

Their batting was also a complete failure, unless there is a weather stopped it wont go the distance .

[JSRAW]

Oh boy, South Afrcian top order sitting duck in pavilion. Faf is gone too, Now Indians need to continue attack from both end with attacking field and wrap up Proteas. Time is the key in this match, good amount of time washed away because of bad light and they cant take risk.

As of now Yadav and Shami both doing excellent job.

SA : 21/3

[eaLiTy]

Oh boy, South Afrcian top order sitting duck in pavilion. Faf is gone too, Now Indians need to continue attack from both end with attacking field and wrap up Proteas.

It is truly heartbreaking to see them struggle like this, let them set a target of 150 runs and bat freely as they got plenty of time, when Kallis used to play everyone used to mock him that he is taking a long time to settle and will spend a huge amount of time in the crease and now they cannot find players who have quarter of their caliber, South Africa will fold pretty soon before the light fades away and more importantly they need to start their second innings .

[Sithara007]

Its looking like a Whitewash for India in this series as SA are in big trouble already with 2 wickets down for just 9 runs. All the pressure is now on Faf du Plessis to help SA avoid the follow-on which is a long way away. Its been SA bowling performance that has let them down in this series while the Indian team has had an all round performance with the bat and ball which is why we see them in this position. I can't see this test match lasting 5 days, it will most likely be over on day 4 unless SA do something amazing.

Nothing is certain as of now. Some 60 overs of play was lost due to poor light during the first two days of play. And if this continues for the remainder of the match, then India may find it difficult to bowl out the South Africans twice (despite assistance from the Ranchi pitch). A lot will depend upon whether South Africa is able to avoid follow on or not. If they manage to score 300 plus, then the chances are that this match will end up as a draw, which by itself is going to be a great achievement for the Proteas. They don't have the capability to defeat India abroad, and this is the best they can hope for. But in order to get to a draw, their lower order needs to perform one more time. However, this time there is no Keshav Maharaj or Senuran Muthusamy in the playing XI.

[7788bitcoin]

Zubayr Hamza and Bavuma trying to consolidate the innings and Zubayr Hamza is playing some good strokes as he is scoring boundaries with ease and looks classy and why was he is the team earlier, South Africa needs to recruit talents like this who likes to play his shots and have a solid defense and hopefully Zubayr Hamza can score his maiden century and he is attacking the India bowlers and now scored his fifty and this is what he need to see, counter attack the Indian bowlers and not give away your wickets easily.

[JSRAW]

Oh boy, South Afrcian top order sitting duck in pavilion. Faf is gone too, Now Indians need to continue attack from both end with attacking field and wrap up Proteas.

It is truly heartbreaking to see them struggle like this, let them set a target of 150 runs and bat freely as they got plenty of time, when Kallis used to play everyone used to mock him that he is taking a long time to settle and will spend a huge amount of time in the crease and now they cannot find players who have quarter of their caliber, South Africa will fold pretty soon before the light fades away and more importantly they need to start their second innings .

Here you go Hamza is gone, he was looking good though. i have doubt if Bavuma can play big inning for proteas. on the other hand Ashwin look rusty with his short spell.

Speaking of Kallis. everyone rates him very high and rightly so. i just leave it here.

[eaLiTy]

Here you go Hamza is gone, he was looking good though. i have doubt if Bavuma can play big inning for proteas. on the other hand Ashwin look rusty with his short spell.

They lost 6 wickets and they will be forced to follow on and India will be winning by an innings, the pitch is turning and the South African players are finding it difficult to face the spinners.

Speaking of Kallis. everyone rates him very high and rightly so. i just leave it here.

probably the best all rounder the world have seen, he can do everything except being a keeper, good defense and if he wants to accelerate he can do that too and one of the best slip fielders and can bowl for a very long time and when he debuted for South Africa he was able to bowl really fast and with time he added variations.

[teosanru]

Here you go Hamza is gone, he was looking good though. i have doubt if Bavuma can play big inning for proteas. on the other hand Ashwin look rusty with his short spell.

They lost 6 wickets and they will be forced to follow on and India will be winning by an innings, the pitch is turning and the South African players are finding it difficult to face the spinners.

Speaking of Kallis. everyone rates him very high and rightly so. i just leave it here.

probably the best all rounder the world have seen, he can do everything except being a keeper, good defense and if he wants to accelerate he can do that too and one of the best slip fielders and can bowl for a very long time and when he debuted for South Africa he was able to bowl really fast and with time he added variations.

Never expected such a performance from South African batsmen. Indian pitches aren't that difficult for bat on even if you hail from South Africa moreover not only spin 3 wickets are taken by pacers so South African batting is struggling considerably. A clean sweep for India in this series would be a real morale booster and gap between number 1 and number 2 will be further widened.