Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Indymoney]

I have a bad feeling that India might slip onto 3rd position after Australia series haha but India would have 1 home series left against England (It would be interesting to see how England face Indians in sub-continent) so they could make comeback.

Even i am not having big hopes for this series for India to dominate but i hope it will be a competitive series because i expect the Indian bowlers to create some problems and my biggest issues is their batting line up and how they will be able to perform and with Virat Kohli not participating in the later part of the series things will be difficult as Australia will be fielding the best team possible.

I am also feeling in same way for Indian team they can struggle against Australia in batting very badly without Virat Kohli and other thing is they have not good enough practice which is also going against them very badly even bowlers can give some good support if wickets are bowling friendly they need to work on this but now time is also another issue for them just few days and we are heading for first ODI.

[7788bitcoin]

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I have a bad feeling that India might slip onto 3rd position after Australia series haha but India would have 1 home series left against England (It would be interesting to see how England face Indians in sub-continent) so they could make comeback.

Australia is waiting for this series as they defeated them last time they visited and with Warned and Smith returning to the team i am sure the entire Aussie dressing board is waiting for this series. When is England planning to tour India, it will be a difficult tour for England as it is a difficult task for any team to dominate the series in India.

Last time SA visited India they got beat up really bad, it was one sided series in favor of India (if not wrong then inning victories) and more or less same thing happened when India went to face them in their backyard, although India did gave them tough fight and won 1 test.

South Africa is known to have a weakness against spinners and defeating India in their home soil is difficult and SA needs to build a strong team as they are a shell of their past.

[JSRAW]

^^This time it was Indian pace battery who won the series against the SA

I have a bad feeling that India might slip onto 3rd position after Australia series haha but India would have 1 home series left against England (It would be interesting to see how England face Indians in sub-continent) so they could make comeback.

Even i am not having big hopes for this series for India to dominate but i hope it will be a competitive series because i expect the Indian bowlers to create some problems and my biggest issues is their batting line up and how they will be able to perform and with Virat Kohli not participating in the later part of the series things will be difficult as Australia will be fielding the best team possible.

From WTC perspective, if India manage to win 1 test and 1 draw (with 2 lose) then 2-1 series in favor of Australia doesn't look so bad. Ishant Sharma is not fit so they need to find 3rd bowler who can bowl along with Bumrah-Shami. In batting department i have faith in Pujara,Vihari and Mayank or in some extent Pant too. He bats well in the test, let's see if he gets to play or not. 

[bryant.coleman]

From WTC perspective, if India manage to win 1 test and 1 draw (with 2 lose) then 2-1 series in favor of Australia doesn't look so bad. Ishant Sharma is not fit so they need to find 3rd bowler who can bowl along with Bumrah-Shami. In batting department i have faith in Pujara,Vihari and Mayank or in some extent Pant too. He bats well in the test, let's see if he gets to play or not. 

IMO, India and Australia are the two teams having the highest probability to finish as the top 2 sides during the WTC. Which one of them will outperform the other will depend upon the series between them. If India loses the Australia series (abroad) by 1-2, then they need to win the series against Australia at home by a better margin. Any other team (including England) finishing within the top two position looks quite remote now.

[JSRAW]

From WTC perspective, if India manage to win 1 test and 1 draw (with 2 lose) then 2-1 series in favor of Australia doesn't look so bad. Ishant Sharma is not fit so they need to find 3rd bowler who can bowl along with Bumrah-Shami. In batting department i have faith in Pujara,Vihari and Mayank or in some extent Pant too. He bats well in the test, let's see if he gets to play or not.  

IMO, India and Australia are the two teams having the highest probability to finish as the top 2 sides during the WTC. Which one of them will outperform the other will depend upon the series between them. If India loses the Australia series (abroad) by 1-2, then they need to win the series against Australia at home by a better margin. Any other team (including England) finishing within the top two position looks quite remote now.

After Australia India has 5 test match WTC series against England at home not australia, we could expect India winning the home series by good margin may be 4-1 as they are strong on home turf. If by any chance English team surprises them, which is possible then i am expecting 3-2 series in favor of India.

[Indymoney]

From WTC perspective, if India manage to win 1 test and 1 draw (with 2 lose) then 2-1 series in favor of Australia doesn't look so bad. Ishant Sharma is not fit so they need to find 3rd bowler who can bowl along with Bumrah-Shami. In batting department i have faith in Pujara,Vihari and Mayank or in some extent Pant too. He bats well in the test, let's see if he gets to play or not.  

IMO, India and Australia are the two teams having the highest probability to finish as the top 2 sides during the WTC. Which one of them will outperform the other will depend upon the series between them. If India loses the Australia series (abroad) by 1-2, then they need to win the series against Australia at home by a better margin. Any other team (including England) finishing within the top two position looks quite remote now.

After Australia India has 5 test match WTC series against England at home not australia, we could expect India winning the home series by good margin may be 4-1 as they are strong on home turf. If by any chance English team surprises them, which is possible then i am expecting 3-2 series in favor of India.

I am feeling there is no chance for England team to surpise India in India because they have not good batting right now and they can struggle very badly against them even if India is going in England then still they are much better team and have abilitiy to beat them.

[JSRAW]

After Australia India has 5 test match WTC series against England at home not australia, we could expect India winning the home series by good margin may be 4-1 as they are strong on home turf. If by any chance English team surprises them, which is possible then i am expecting 3-2 series in favor of India.

I am feeling there is no chance for England team to surpise India in India because they have not good batting right now and they can struggle very badly against them even if India is going in England then still they are much better team and have abilitiy to beat them.

In India yeah they are strong but i feel you are putting so much faith on Indian batsmen when touring England, they always struggle in England. English team almost white washed India on last tour, India was very competitive tho at least for 3 games (lost), 1 won with complete dominance and lost 1 very convincingly.

[ene1980]

After Australia India has 5 test match WTC series against England at home not australia, we could expect India winning the home series by good margin may be 4-1 as they are strong on home turf. If by any chance English team surprises them, which is possible then i am expecting 3-2 series in favor of India.

India is a strong team at home but in the past they won because they had great spinners but who are their regular spinners in Test, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are their main spinners and if they perform then India will dominate England as the last tour of India was also a disaster .
The Australian tour is the big test for the Indian squad as they are waiting for retribution .

[Indymoney]

After Australia India has 5 test match WTC series against England at home not australia, we could expect India winning the home series by good margin may be 4-1 as they are strong on home turf. If by any chance English team surprises them, which is possible then i am expecting 3-2 series in favor of India.

I am feeling there is no chance for England team to surpise India in India because they have not good batting right now and they can struggle very badly against them even if India is going in England then still they are much better team and have abilitiy to beat them.

In India yeah they are strong but i feel you are putting so much faith on Indian batsmen when touring England, they always struggle in England. English team almost white washed India on last tour, India was very competitive tho at least for 3 games (lost), 1 won with complete dominance and lost 1 very convincingly.

Its not matter of faith English team also facing some serious problems in batting and India is also have some serious troubles in English conditions but their few batsmen can perform good on other hand in bowling now they also have some good pair like Bumrah and Shami if Sharma fits on time then surely its could be bonus for them in any condition.

[Juggy777]

After Australia India has 5 test match WTC series against England at home not australia, we could expect India winning the home series by good margin may be 4-1 as they are strong on home turf. If by any chance English team surprises them, which is possible then i am expecting 3-2 series in favor of India.

I am feeling there is no chance for England team to surpise India in India because they have not good batting right now and they can struggle very badly against them even if India is going in England then still they are much better team and have abilitiy to beat them.

In India yeah they are strong but i feel you are putting so much faith on Indian batsmen when touring England, they always struggle in England. English team almost white washed India on last tour, India was very competitive tho at least for 3 games (lost), 1 won with complete dominance and lost 1 very convincingly.

@JSRAW in the past both the teams had their respective home advantage (Seam and Spin respectively), but things have changed now, as both the teams have shown that they can adopt and perform in any condition be it Seam or Spin.

Furthermore team India could be in trouble if other Indian player’s don’t step up, because team India’s captain Virat will be absent for quiet a while due to his maternity leave.

Source:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/54872416

[SaShiRaJaVu]

Ishant Sharma is not fit so they need to find 3rd bowler who can bowl along with Bumrah-Shami. In batting department i have faith in Pujara,Vihari and Mayank or in some extent Pant too. He bats well in the test, let's see if he gets to play or not. 

If we are looking for pace India have Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini to share the ball with Bumrah and Shami, personally i would like to see Mohammed Siraj or Navdeep Saini making their debut. The batting line up is great but not sure the batting line up they are planning, i would like to see KL Rahul open the innings and only include Rohit Sharma if he is fit as there is Prithvi Shaw  and Prithvi Shaw in the team and they need the exposure and see how they perform.

[CaCO3]

Ishant Sharma is not fit so they need to find 3rd bowler who can bowl along with Bumrah-Shami. In batting department i have faith in Pujara,Vihari and Mayank or in some extent Pant too. He bats well in the test, let's see if he gets to play or not. 

If we are looking for pace India have Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini to share the ball with Bumrah and Shami, personally i would like to see Mohammed Siraj or Navdeep Saini making their debut. The batting line up is great but not sure the batting line up they are planning, i would like to see KL Rahul open the innings and only include Rohit Sharma if he is fit as there is Prithvi Shaw  and Prithvi Shaw in the team and they need the exposure and see how they perform.

The Indian cricket team is now advanced in all respects.  They are now equally strong in the batting department and the bowling department.  If Rohit Sharma is injured, he will be replaced by KL Rahul.  Players like Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Rishabh Pant should have no worries if they are in a team. If Ishant Sharma is injured in the bowling department then Mohammad Siraj is enough to support Mohammad Sami and Jaspreet Bhomra.  Mohammad Siraj is a talented bowler.

[vella85]

The first test match between Australia and India will start at the Adelaide Oval where India seem to play well so I think its a great chance for the touring team to get one up on Australia early in the series. If they do then its really going to be an exciting series between both teams.

[JSRAW]

^^ Its Pink ball game so i have my doubts.  but okay i wouldn't mind if India wins haha

Ishant Sharma is not fit so they need to find 3rd bowler who can bowl along with Bumrah-Shami. In batting department i have faith in Pujara,Vihari and Mayank or in some extent Pant too. He bats well in the test, let's see if he gets to play or not. 

If we are looking for pace India have Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini to share the ball with Bumrah and Shami, personally i would like to see Mohammed Siraj or Navdeep Saini making their debut. The batting line up is great but not sure the batting line up they are planning, i would like to see KL Rahul open the innings and only include Rohit Sharma if he is fit as there is Prithvi Shaw  and Prithvi Shaw in the team and they need the exposure and see how they perform.

Choosing one would be really tricky for selectors. Virat like 3 of them as this trio belongs to RCB squad  . About KL Rahul, i hope they go with the same combination as last tour Prithvi-Mayank, despite Prithvi's poor performance in the IPL. KL was big failure on last tour and he was picked based on his IPL performance, they could try him later if Prithvi-Mayank fails. Rohit Sharma is middle order batsman in the Test but i would be very happy if management showing some confidence on Shubham Gill instead of Rohit in absence of Virat. If they want to experiment with the Rohit then give him opening slot and see if he clicks or not similar to Sehwag.

[Sithara007]

The first test match between Australia and India will start at the Adelaide Oval where India seem to play well so I think its a great chance for the touring team to get one up on Australia early in the series. If they do then its really going to be an exciting series between both teams.

The track at Adelaide Oval is expected to offer no additional support for the pacers, and also Virat Kohli will be a part of the Indian playing XI. It is going to be an evenly contested match and although Australia are the favorites, I wouldn't discount the chances of India. And from what I have heard, Navdeep Saini may be included in the playing XI, along with Bumrah and Mohammad Shami.

[eaLiTy]

The track at Adelaide Oval is expected to offer no additional support for the pacers, and also Virat Kohli will be a part of the Indian playing XI. It is going to be an evenly contested match and although Australia are the favorites, I wouldn't discount the chances of India. And from what I have heard, Navdeep Saini may be included in the playing XI, along with Bumrah and Mohammad Shami.

The Adelaide Oval is a hunting ground for David Warner and he scored centuries in both of his innings against India in 2014 and Virat Kohli also made centuries and when they last met in Adelaide Warner was not in the game due to suspension and now he is back and it will be a battle by batsman and on the final day it will help the spinners.

[@PEPE12]

The track at Adelaide Oval is expected to offer no additional support for the pacers, and also Virat Kohli will be a part of the Indian playing XI. It is going to be an evenly contested match and although Australia are the favorites, I wouldn't discount the chances of India. And from what I have heard, Navdeep Saini may be included in the playing XI, along with Bumrah and Mohammad Shami.

The Adelaide Oval is a hunting ground for David Warner and he scored centuries in both of his innings against India in 2014 and Virat Kohli also made centuries and when they last met in Adelaide Warner was not in the game due to suspension and now he is back and it will be a battle by batsman and on the final day it will help the spinners.

David Warner has a lot of records at the Oval.  He has two centuries in one match.  Undoubtedly he is a good player.  This time too he is in much better form.  But this time we will see Virat Kohli in a different way.  Virat Kohli is ready to give his best on all grounds.  There is no other classic pair like him in the world at the present time.  Virat Kohli will be the key player of this year's event.  I hope we see a great test match this time.  Although the spinners got an advantage in this wicket, I hope the fast bowlers will do much better.  It would be great if new players like Mohammad Siraj and Navadwip Saini were called up for this playing XI.

[JSRAW]

No Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma for the first 2 tests against Australia. Ishant is recovered but to be a match fit he need at least 1 month training including 2 week quarantine period. Rohit is still struggling with his hamstring injury.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/30377226/australia-vs-india-ishant-sharma-rohit-sharma-ruled-first-two-tests

[bryant.coleman]

No Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma for the first 2 tests against Australia. Ishant is recovered but to be a match fit he need at least 1 month training including 2 week quarantine period. Rohit is still struggling with his hamstring injury.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/30377226/australia-vs-india-ishant-sharma-rohit-sharma-ruled-first-two-tests

Rohit is no longer in his 20s and the heavy workload during the IPL might have resulted in the injury. And I am not much surprised about Ishant. He has always been an injury prone bowler. There are rumors that Shreyas Iyer will be included in the test squad, and he may be even given an opportunity to play one or two matches against the Australians. I am in favor of such a move. I have always considered him as the future Indian captain, although his recent poor performance during the IPL was a dampener.

[Vishnu.Reang]

I hope Rohit Sharma will recover very soon. Virat Kohli won't play the Test series against Australia, if Rohit Sharma can't play, it will not be happy for the India team. On the other hand, I would be happy to have Shreyas lyre in the squad. He is a talented player. Though he is not experienced enough, but I hope he will be able to play well against Australia.

Virat will be playing in the test series. But he will be returning to India after the first test. Yesterday, there was a warning from the former Australian batsman Michael Clarke, who claimed that India risks getting whitewashed 0-4 without Virat. But the other batsmen needs to step up their part. For how long India is going to be overdependent on Kohli for the overseas matches?