Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[JSRAW]

It seems to me that heavy workload in the IPL has resulted in a number of injuries. But the players are not going to care much, as playing for the national team nowadays is not as rewarding for playing for their franchises. However, players such as Varun Chakravarthy would be disappointed as he was about to make his debut for India. BTW, Kohli's case is different. He is taking a delayed paternity leave.

If we go by players statements then this is one of the stress free IPL edition due to lack of travel, when it schedule in India teams used to travel on the crazy schedule but that's not the case this year as all stadiums are not far.

The only thing i can think of is covid break was major reason of so many injuries due to lack of match practice.

~snip~

The Indian team now has problems with selection. Without Virat Kohli, it will be very difficult to fight against a big team like Australia.

In test match, yeah! Good for Kohli-Anuska duo tho..

In limited over cricket India can afford to loose him but he's there.

BCCI seems confused on Rohit and other players due to injury, they should have wait to finish IPL first to avoid any confusion, or at least disclose the squad one week before the Finals. Anyways here are more changes and update on Indian squad.

Rohit is not in the best of form and he is injured and they should not force him back, Virat is not going to play the entire Test series and it will be an advantage for Australia as the highlight of the series would have been Smith Vs Virat and who is going to score the most runs because in the last series Smith was leading with the runs and i was expecting a great battle.

I am not in favor of Rohit when featuring in Whites, he sucks really bad in the test cricket. I have no shame to admit that he's home track bully when it comes to Red ball cricket but only on middle order and home series. He might give 1-2 50's here n there but he's not a game changer in Test, if i have to pick then will prefer Pant over him everytime. BCCI should do Indian cricket a favor by offering him opening slot if he successed like Sehwag then its good for India, if not then tell him to focus on fitness and White ball cricket only.

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[vella85]

The Indian team now has problems with selection. Without Virat Kohli, it will be very difficult to fight against a big team like Australia. Although the Indian team has many talented and experienced players. On the other hand BCCI finds talented players through IPL. Hopefully we can see more new and talented players in the Indian squad. Overall the series between India vs Australia will be very competitive. Both teams are going to play an international match after a long break. Both will have the expectation of victory.

Whatever the analysts say, the truth is that Virat Kohli is the only consistent batsmen for India in surfaces that support pace and bounce. If he is not available for most of the matches, then it can have a large impact on the outcome. Also, the first-class season in India is delayed due to COVID 19. So most of the players are without match practice, as far as the longer format is concerned.

Well India could be in the same situation like how Australia was when the two teams last played in Australia where Australia were missing Smith and Warner which had a huge impact on the outcome because if them two players were playing then I think the series would of been different. I really do hope that we see two full strength teams for this upcoming test series in Australia as this series could be one of the biggest in the past 10 years.

[bryant.coleman]

Well India could be in the same situation like how Australia was when the two teams last played in Australia where Australia were missing Smith and Warner which had a huge impact on the outcome because if them two players were playing then I think the series would of been different. I really do hope that we see two full strength teams for this upcoming test series in Australia as this series could be one of the biggest in the past 10 years.

Back then the Australian batting was quite weak and the Indian pacers did a lot of damage. This time the challenge will be tougher for the Indian bowlers. Also this time, the Australian pacers are in top form, especially Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Without Virat Kohli, it is not going to get any easy for the Indian batsmen. Can we expect another miracle from Cheteshwar Pujara this time?

[Juggy777]

Well India could be in the same situation like how Australia was when the two teams last played in Australia where Australia were missing Smith and Warner which had a huge impact on the outcome because if them two players were playing then I think the series would of been different. I really do hope that we see two full strength teams for this upcoming test series in Australia as this series could be one of the biggest in the past 10 years.

Back then the Australian batting was quite weak and the Indian pacers did a lot of damage. This time the challenge will be tougher for the Indian bowlers. Also this time, the Australian pacers are in top form, especially Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Without Virat Kohli, it is not going to get any easy for the Indian batsmen. Can we expect another miracle from Cheteshwar Pujara this time?

@bryant.coleman this series is an excellent opportunity for other Indian player’s to step up while Virat’s away, and secure their spot in the team for the long term. Lastly BCCI has another big issue to handle as to who’ll lead the team in Virat’s absence, will it be Ajinkya Rahane or Rohit Sharma, and it’s pertinent to note that the former is the current vice captain of Indian cricket test team.

Source:

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/sports-news-india-vs-australia-who-will-be-indias-test-match-captain-in-virat-kohlis-absence/363915

[Vishnu.Reang]

Why is Ajinkya Rahane even in contention for the spot of captain? I would go with Rohit Sharma, as he has captained the side in a better way whenever Virat is not available. Anyway, Rohit is being considered as the no.2 in the Indian squad, and therefore naturally he should be considered for captaincy whenever Virat is not available. Personally I don't have any issues with Ajinkya, but I feel Rohit is far more acceptable to the other team members.

[JSRAW]

Why is Ajinkya Rahane even in contention for the spot of captain? I would go with Rohit Sharma, as he has captained the side in a better way whenever Virat is not available. Anyway, Rohit is being considered as the no.2 in the Indian squad, and therefore naturally he should be considered for captaincy whenever Virat is not available. Personally I don't have any issues with Ajinkya, but I feel Rohit is far more acceptable to the other team members.

- Rohit never made into Test squad regularly. He's No 2 in the limited over cricket but not in the red ball cricket.
- Ajinkya is Virat's deputy in Test format for quite some time.
- Every time Virat miss any Test game, Ajinkya leads the national team.
-

[7788bitcoin]

~
Well.. the problem in India is that they have an oversupply of talent. For each slot in the playing XI, you have 6-7 different players competing for it. And the competition is the most fierce, for the position of wicket keeper batsmen. Rishabh Pant is being preferred by Kohli. But other players such as Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan are also in the probable list. And then we have players such as Dinesh Karthik and Wriddhiman Saha, who want to make comeback to the national team.

It is a good problem Indian team is facing, having a competition to secure a spot is not easy and i think the IPL has given all the players the exposure to play alongside the best players and that would help them elevate their career. There was a time when Australia and South Africa had this problem of more talents that are competing to get a place in the team and now India is dominating because of this competition.

Selection related controversy was always present with the Indian national team. MSK Prasad was known to have a bias in favor of players from his state, such as Hanuma Vihari. But that is how the system in India works. Everyone will be having a certain amount of bias, either towards his state side, or towards his IPL franchise (or both).

There might be bias in selection but if the player is not able to perform then he will not be back in the team, Rohit Sharma was not performing for a long time but the selectors trusted his skills and he proved that after giving a lot of opportunities.

[Bitcoin577]

Pakistan Cricket Board is still doing some experiments and trying to upset good career of Babar Azam after appointing him as Test Captain replacing Azhar Ali its really frustrating and poor management from them as they can give this spot to Sarfraz as Babar could be his deputy and have some good lessons for this format but personal likes and dislikes and poor politics is around here which is killing careers of good players and nothing good happening to Pakistan Cricket.

[eaLiTy]

Pakistan Cricket Board is still doing some experiments and trying to upset good career of Babar Azam after appointing him as Test Captain replacing Azhar Ali its really frustrating and poor management from them as they can give this spot to Sarfraz as Babar could be his deputy and have some good lessons for this format but personal likes and dislikes and poor politics is around here which is killing careers of good players and nothing good happening to Pakistan Cricket.

There is nothing wrong in giving Babar Azam the captaincy and you never know how players will perform with added responsibility and the prime example was Misbah Ul Haq the present coach, he was not the best player and i was surprised when he was given the captaincy but he elevated his game and became one of the best players in the shorter format as well.

If you look in the past players like Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards performed well even while leading the team and so does Hansie Cronje, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and MS Dhoni became a finisher from a stroke maker after becoming the captain of the side and Virat Kohli also elevated his game after becoming the captain and Babar Azam has the talent and only with experimentation you will understand whether the added responsibility will make or break him.

[vella85]

Well India could be in the same situation like how Australia was when the two teams last played in Australia where Australia were missing Smith and Warner which had a huge impact on the outcome because if them two players were playing then I think the series would of been different. I really do hope that we see two full strength teams for this upcoming test series in Australia as this series could be one of the biggest in the past 10 years.

Back then the Australian batting was quite weak and the Indian pacers did a lot of damage. This time the challenge will be tougher for the Indian bowlers. Also this time, the Australian pacers are in top form, especially Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Without Virat Kohli, it is not going to get any easy for the Indian batsmen. Can we expect another miracle from Cheteshwar Pujara this time?

@bryant.coleman this series is an excellent opportunity for other Indian player’s to step up while Virat’s away, and secure their spot in the team for the long term. Lastly BCCI has another big issue to handle as to who’ll lead the team in Virat’s absence, will it be Ajinkya Rahane or Rohit Sharma, and it’s pertinent to note that the former is the current vice captain of Indian cricket test team.

Source:

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/sports-news-india-vs-australia-who-will-be-indias-test-match-captain-in-virat-kohlis-absence/363915

I agree with you as this gives other players the chance to step up and take lead and show us all what they can do against a strong Australian team with a very good pace attack. I still think the series will be a close fought series as I think both teams will need to get the feel of test match cricket again.

[Indymoney]

Well India could be in the same situation like how Australia was when the two teams last played in Australia where Australia were missing Smith and Warner which had a huge impact on the outcome because if them two players were playing then I think the series would of been different. I really do hope that we see two full strength teams for this upcoming test series in Australia as this series could be one of the biggest in the past 10 years.

Back then the Australian batting was quite weak and the Indian pacers did a lot of damage. This time the challenge will be tougher for the Indian bowlers. Also this time, the Australian pacers are in top form, especially Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Without Virat Kohli, it is not going to get any easy for the Indian batsmen. Can we expect another miracle from Cheteshwar Pujara this time?

@bryant.coleman this series is an excellent opportunity for other Indian player’s to step up while Virat’s away, and secure their spot in the team for the long term. Lastly BCCI has another big issue to handle as to who’ll lead the team in Virat’s absence, will it be Ajinkya Rahane or Rohit Sharma, and it’s pertinent to note that the former is the current vice captain of Indian cricket test team.

Source:

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/sports-news-india-vs-australia-who-will-be-indias-test-match-captain-in-virat-kohlis-absence/363915

I agree with you as this gives other players the chance to step up and take lead and show us all what they can do against a strong Australian team with a very good pace attack. I still think the series will be a close fought series as I think both teams will need to get the feel of test match cricket again.

May be your statement is much better and correct but now I am feeling without Virat Kohli Indian team is going to struggle very badly because in current squad no one is able to handle this all right now so its most chances this test series is going to be in Australina favour.

[bryant.coleman]

May be your statement is much better and correct but now I am feeling without Virat Kohli Indian team is going to struggle very badly because in current squad no one is able to handle this all right now so its most chances this test series is going to be in Australina favour.

With or without Virat, India is going to struggle in Australia. Last time it was an exception, because the Indian players (especially Pujara) was in such terrific form and Australia was missing two of their best players. But it is not all doom and gloom for the Indians. Their recent form has been terrific and the pace bowlers have been in top form. If their batsmen also live up to the occasion, then we may see a repeat of 2017.

[JSRAW]

Babar Azam--------------- Misbah Ul Haq

Babar is going to end up with one of the great in modern cricket, no matter he's captain or not. On Batsman Misbah (Not coach) i would say Pakistani cricket fraternity was very critical as far as batter Misbah is concern but he was or still very respectable figure all around the world and rated highly in the Red ball cricket, not so in Pakistan tho. One of the many reason Pakistan failed to produce more test batsmen in the last decade or so.
 

[Vishnu.Reang]

Pakistan Cricket Board is still doing some experiments and trying to upset good career of Babar Azam after appointing him as Test Captain replacing Azhar Ali its really frustrating and poor management from them as they can give this spot to Sarfraz as Babar could be his deputy and have some good lessons for this format but personal likes and dislikes and poor politics is around here which is killing careers of good players and nothing good happening to Pakistan Cricket.

I agree with JSRAW. There is nothing wring in giving the captaincy to Babar Azam. He has captained the team before and I don't think that the added responsibility will put him in any sort of pressure. The reason why they went for this decision is that Sarfraz hasn't performed that well as the captain. So there is no harm in doing a bit of experimenting. If things doesn't work out, then they can always go back to Sarfraz.

[Swordsoffreedom]

Pakistan Cricket Board is still doing some experiments and trying to upset good career of Babar Azam after appointing him as Test Captain replacing Azhar Ali its really frustrating and poor management from them as they can give this spot to Sarfraz as Babar could be his deputy and have some good lessons for this format but personal likes and dislikes and poor politics is around here which is killing careers of good players and nothing good happening to Pakistan Cricket.

I agree with JSRAW. There is nothing wring in giving the captaincy to Babar Azam. He has captained the team before and I don't think that the added responsibility will put him in any sort of pressure. The reason why they went for this decision is that Sarfraz hasn't performed that well as the captain. So there is no harm in doing a bit of experimenting. If things doesn't work out, then they can always go back to Sarfraz.

If the captain is not successful then the experiment should be done by giving the responsibility of captain to someone new. There are many old players in the Pakistan's squad. Many are very experienced. If Sarfraz is not successful in captaincy, then another experienced player should be given the responsibility of captain. Since they have alternative options. So they should be tested to see which player is perfect for the post of captain.

[SaShiRaJaVu]

If the captain is not successful then the experiment should be done by giving the responsibility of captain to someone new. There are many old players in the Pakistan's squad. Many are very experienced. If Sarfraz is not successful in captaincy, then another experienced player should be given the responsibility of captain. Since they have alternative options. So they should be tested to see which player is perfect for the post of captain.

Pakistan needs to groom the players before handling them the responsibility as a captain, i was checking their past under 19 captains and none of them made it to the international level which is questionable in itself how they become the captain in the first place. Teams like Australia and recently India groom the players that have the leadership quality and if they are performing well and have enough experience they will hand the captaincy to them and that is how you build a team and Pakistan is lacking that.

[bryant.coleman]

If the captain is not successful then the experiment should be done by giving the responsibility of captain to someone new. There are many old players in the Pakistan's squad. Many are very experienced. If Sarfraz is not successful in captaincy, then another experienced player should be given the responsibility of captain. Since they have alternative options. So they should be tested to see which player is perfect for the post of captain.

It is not as easy as you say. First of all, the captain should be someone who has a permanent slot in the playing XI. Right now, there are only 5-6 such players. What is the point in making someone a captain and sustaining him in the playing XI even if he is not playing well? Babar Azam never complained about the added responsibility. Let's see how it goes.

[JSRAW]

Pakistan Cricket Board is still doing some experiments and trying to upset good career of Babar Azam after appointing him as Test Captain replacing Azhar Ali its really frustrating and poor management from them as they can give this spot to Sarfraz as Babar could be his deputy and have some good lessons for this format but personal likes and dislikes and poor politics is around here which is killing careers of good players and nothing good happening to Pakistan Cricket.

I agree with JSRAW. There is nothing wring in giving the captaincy to Babar Azam. He has captained the team before and I don't think that the added responsibility will put him in any sort of pressure. The reason why they went for this decision is that Sarfraz hasn't performed that well as the captain. So there is no harm in doing a bit of experimenting. If things doesn't work out, then they can always go back to Sarfraz.

If the captain is not successful then the experiment should be done by giving the responsibility of captain to someone new. There are many old players in the Pakistan's squad. Many are very experienced. If Sarfraz is not successful in captaincy, then another experienced player should be given the responsibility of captain. Since they have alternative options. So they should be tested to see which player is perfect for the post of captain.

Just to be clear, Babar took captaincy from Sarfaraz and Azhar Ali from ODI/T-20 and Test format, respectively. Pakistan has a habit of changing captains like clothes so i wouldn't be surprise if PCB change their captain again, if Babar fail as a test captain.

[Swordsoffreedom]

If the captain is not successful then the experiment should be done by giving the responsibility of captain to someone new. There are many old players in the Pakistan's squad. Many are very experienced. If Sarfraz is not successful in captaincy, then another experienced player should be given the responsibility of captain. Since they have alternative options. So they should be tested to see which player is perfect for the post of captain.

It is not as easy as you say. First of all, the captain should be someone who has a permanent slot in the playing XI. Right now, there are only 5-6 such players. What is the point in making someone a captain and sustaining him in the playing XI even if he is not playing well? Babar Azam never complained about the added responsibility. Let's see how it goes.

I didn't say that if someone plays badly he should be made captain. You don't understand my point. There are many players in the Pakistan squad who are experienced. At the same time they are playing well. If someone loses form, plays a few matches badly, you can't call him a bad player. Someone should be made a captain who is a regular contributor to the team's victory and the main thing is that he must be experienced.

[Vishnu.Reang]

Just to be clear, Babar took captaincy from Sarfaraz and Azhar Ali from ODI/T-20 and Test format, respectively. Pakistan has a habit of changing captains like clothes so i wouldn't be surprise if PCB change their captain again, if Babar fail as a test captain.

Hopefully this time Babar will remain as the captain for some time. Stability is needed at the most important position, but I understand why Sarfraz and Azhar were dropped. A lot of people were comparing Babar with Virat Kohli as far as batting is concerned (although I believe such comparisons make no sense at all). Now if he can do what Virat did with captaincy as well, then it will benefit Pakistan in a big way.