Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[bryant.coleman]

I think you are a bit more confident than usual on India's performance in the upcoming series. In my opinion both team are great and both have chances, it all depends on how much pressure the players can take and I am confident most matches in this series will be pretty close.

It would have been close if Virat Kohli was playing all the matches. But without Kohli, Australia is having the advantage. Kohli has been the backbone of the Indian batting lineup in surfaces which favor pace bowling. None of the other Indian batsmen have performed consistently on such surfaces. However, Indian pacers seems to be in very good form right now.

[1714668337]

1714668337

[Swordsoffreedom]

I think you are a bit more confident than usual on India's performance in the upcoming series. In my opinion both team are great and both have chances, it all depends on how much pressure the players can take and I am confident most matches in this series will be pretty close.

It would have been close if Virat Kohli was playing all the matches. But without Kohli, Australia is having the advantage. Kohli has been the backbone of the Indian batting lineup in surfaces which favor pace bowling. None of the other Indian batsmen have performed consistently on such surfaces. However, Indian pacers seems to be in very good form right now.

India's biggest weakness is having to play without a batsman like Virat Kohli. The Australian team will take advantage of this opportunity. It would be foolish if Indian team management select a newcomer to replace Virat Kohli against Australia. Australia's bowling seems terrible, and when they play on their own field, they become more violent for the opponent. Experienced players, who has experience of playing against Australia will have to be taken in the team instead of Virat Kohli.

[bryant.coleman]

It is not impossible for India to win a Test series against Australia, but it is very difficult. Teams like Australia or England are much stronger in pace bowling. And their country's fields are also very helpful for pace bowlers. On the other hand, Asian teams (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh)  are very good at spin bowling, but they lag behind in pace bowling. So it is much more difficult for Asian teams to win against Australia at home.

You forget the fact that India is also a pace powerhouse now. The current Indian pace attack resembles the Pakistani pace battery of 1990s, which included legends such as Wasim Akram, Aaqib Javed and Waqar Younis. The main difference between the two sides is that the Australians have batsmen who are very good against pace bowling, while India doesn't have a lot of such batsmen.

[ene1980]

I agree with you that, at this time India have a lot of good pace bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah is an awesome bowler. Apart from that, India has some better pace bowlers. But the main thing is, although they have some qualityfull world class batsman , but most of their batsman are a little bit weak against pace bowling. I think it is the only weak point of Indian team. Hope they will recover it. And we will see a competitive series.

We will get all the answers by this month as the tournament will start by 27th but for the real Test it will take a longer time, the shorter format will be close matches as both teams have good players but the main highlight would be the Test series and i am hoping that Australia will have an upper hand because they are playing in their home ground. I know that Indian players were susceptible to short pitch bowling in the past but the current players are more than capable of playing those shorts.

[bryant.coleman]

I agree with you that, at this time India have a lot of good pace bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah is an awesome bowler. Apart from that, India has some better pace bowlers. But the main thing is, although they have some qualityfull world class batsman , but most of their batsman are a little bit weak against pace bowling. I think it is the only weak point of Indian team. Hope they will recover it. And we will see a competitive series.

The Indian batsmen, apart from Virat Kohli can face pace bowling, but they can be quite inconsistent. If you remember the 2017 series, then it was Pujara who scored the most runs for India. So they have batsmen who can face world class pace attack. But the question is whether they will be able to do that on a consistent basis or not. Anyway, this time the indications are that CA will be preparing pitches that are more conductive to batting.

[Clement Kaliyar]

The Indian batsmen, apart from Virat Kohli can face pace bowling, but they can be quite inconsistent. If you remember the 2017 series, then it was Pujara who scored the most runs for India. So they have batsmen who can face world class pace attack. But the question is whether they will be able to do that on a consistent basis or not. Anyway, this time the indications are that CA will be preparing pitches that are more conductive to batting.

I have not seen any weakness in Virat Kohli when he faces fast bowling and if CA prepare batting wicket then it will help India as they have a strong batting line up and they have the bowlers that could bowl in any pitch especially Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami and if the pitch is not helping the bowlers then the India batsman will score a ton of runs as well.

[Indymoney]

The Indian batsmen, apart from Virat Kohli can face pace bowling, but they can be quite inconsistent. If you remember the 2017 series, then it was Pujara who scored the most runs for India. So they have batsmen who can face world class pace attack. But the question is whether they will be able to do that on a consistent basis or not. Anyway, this time the indications are that CA will be preparing pitches that are more conductive to batting.

I have not seen any weakness in Virat Kohli when he faces fast bowling and if CA prepare batting wicket then it will help India as they have a strong batting line up and they have the bowlers that could bowl in any pitch especially Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami and if the pitch is not helping the bowlers then the India batsman will score a ton of runs as well.

Most chances they are not going with batting wickets because they have some good bowlers and batsmen those can perform very good on these wickets and they are home team so some good advantages are going with them most chanes this is going to be good win for Australia in current situation as Virat is also not available for visitors which is big impact on their batting.

[ene1980]

If you remember the 2017 series, then it was Pujara who scored the most runs for India. So they have batsmen who can face world class pace attack. But the question is whether they will be able to do that on a consistent basis or not. Anyway, this time the indications are that CA will be preparing pitches that are more conductive to batting.

I am yet to see the team for the Test matches for India but Pujara is a Test specialist and he has not played any competitive cricket for a long time due to pandemic and that will be a challenge for him and there is no way CA will be preparing pitches that are batting friendly as that will end up in a draw rather than providing in any result as India has some good players who are able to bat the entire day especially Pujara.

[7788bitcoin]

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@7788bitcoin while you’re right about sub continents teams struggle in Australia, but it’s important to remember that Australia’s batman’s are vulnerable against spin too while they’re playing in India, so home advantage is nothing new. Furthermore India did play a Day and Night test match a while back, and it was boring for me because it turned out to be a one sided match.

Yes i forgot that India did play a day night Test match and this will be their first one outside their comfort zone and that too against a formidable side. There were players like Hayden and Ponting who had major success against Indian spinners in India in the past and the current crop of young players with experience will perform better in the future.

[Sithara007]

I am yet to see the team for the Test matches for India but Pujara is a Test specialist and he has not played any competitive cricket for a long time due to pandemic and that will be a challenge for him and there is no way CA will be preparing pitches that are batting friendly as that will end up in a draw rather than providing in any result as India has some good players who are able to bat the entire day especially Pujara.

This is something that the BCCI should pay attention to. Players such as Pujara have been out of action for quite long, and they may find themselves rusty during the matches. It is very much necessary to have a good number of practise/warmup matches before the actual matches start. I am skeptical here, because the BCCI have been always against playing large number of practice matches.

[ene1980]

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This is something that the BCCI should pay attention to. Players such as Pujara have been out of action for quite long, and they may find themselves rusty during the matches. It is very much necessary to have a good number of practise/warmup matches before the actual matches start. I am skeptical here, because the BCCI have been always against playing large number of practice matches.

During a pandemic it is impossible to give these players a match situation and the problem right now is Australia is having a surge in the number of patients and there is a possibility that the government could lock the country once again and i have seen reports that the venue might change because of the situation and if that is the case we might not even see any warm up matches.

[Sithara007]

During a pandemic it is impossible to give these players a match situation and the problem right now is Australia is having a surge in the number of patients and there is a possibility that the government could lock the country once again and i have seen reports that the venue might change because of the situation and if that is the case we might not even see any warm up matches.

It is quite surprising. The WBBL is ongoing right now, and if a franchise league involving 8 teams can proceed without any trouble then I don't think that there should be any issue with the bilateral series. But then, COVID 19 cases are really surging in Australia. It will be a very tough task for CA to set up bio-secure bubbles and ensure that the players remain safe.

[JSRAW]

I am yet to see the team for the Test matches for India but Pujara is a Test specialist and he has not played any competitive cricket for a long time due to pandemic and that will be a challenge for him and there is no way CA will be preparing pitches that are batting friendly as that will end up in a draw rather than providing in any result as India has some good players who are able to bat the entire day especially Pujara.

This is something that the BCCI should pay attention to. Players such as Pujara have been out of action for quite long, and they may find themselves rusty during the matches. It is very much necessary to have a good number of practise/warmup matches before the actual matches start. I am skeptical here, because the BCCI have been always against playing large number of practice matches.

I think fair amount of Test players are schedule to play 2-3 warm up games against Australia A and if i remember the roster clearly then warm-up game would start seamlessly along with intl T-20 series (Aus vs Ind). These warm up games might help some players such as Pujara, Rahane,Vihari, Pant, Saha etc

[Vishnu.Reang]

I think fair amount of Test players are schedule to play 2-3 warm up games against Australia A and if i remember the roster clearly then warm-up game would start seamlessly along with intl T-20 series (Aus vs Ind). These warm up games might help some players such as Pujara, Rahane,Vihari, Pant, Saha etc

I am glad that BCCI allowed a greater number of warmup matches this time. Normally they go for a very cramped schedule, with a maximum of just one warmup match. The players have remained in northern hemisphere for more than a year and they need time to adjust with the conditions in Australia. I am especially worried about Pujara, as the last match he played was more than 8 months back.

[Iranus]

I am yet to see the team for the Test matches for India but Pujara is a Test specialist and he has not played any competitive cricket for a long time due to pandemic and that will be a challenge for him and there is no way CA will be preparing pitches that are batting friendly as that will end up in a draw rather than providing in any result as India has some good players who are able to bat the entire day especially Pujara.

This is something that the BCCI should pay attention to. Players such as Pujara have been out of action for quite long, and they may find themselves rusty during the matches. It is very much necessary to have a good number of practise/warmup matches before the actual matches start. I am skeptical here, because the BCCI have been always against playing large number of practice matches.

I think fair amount of Test players are schedule to play 2-3 warm up games against Australia A and if i remember the roster clearly then warm-up game would start seamlessly along with intl T-20 series (Aus vs Ind). These warm up games might help some players such as Pujara, Rahane,Vihari, Pant, Saha etc

Australia's climate and environment are completely different from India's. And their field and pitch are completely different than the pitch in Asia. India should adapt to that field and environment by playing a few warm up matches. And warm up matches will be very beneficial for players who have no previous playing experience on the Australian field.

You are right. Warm-up match  help all the teams to adapt to the new field. If India team doesn't play a warm up match and goes straight to play against Australia, it won't be a good result for them. I think they will lose the first game to Australia.

[Indymoney]

I am yet to see the team for the Test matches for India but Pujara is a Test specialist and he has not played any competitive cricket for a long time due to pandemic and that will be a challenge for him and there is no way CA will be preparing pitches that are batting friendly as that will end up in a draw rather than providing in any result as India has some good players who are able to bat the entire day especially Pujara.

This is something that the BCCI should pay attention to. Players such as Pujara have been out of action for quite long, and they may find themselves rusty during the matches. It is very much necessary to have a good number of practise/warmup matches before the actual matches start. I am skeptical here, because the BCCI have been always against playing large number of practice matches.

I think fair amount of Test players are schedule to play 2-3 warm up games against Australia A and if i remember the roster clearly then warm-up game would start seamlessly along with intl T-20 series (Aus vs Ind). These warm up games might help some players such as Pujara, Rahane,Vihari, Pant, Saha etc

Australia's climate and environment are completely different from India's. And their field and pitch are completely different than the pitch in Asia. India should adapt to that field and environment by playing a few warm up matches. And warm up matches will be very beneficial for players who have no previous playing experience on the Australian field.

You are right. Warm-up match  help all the teams to adapt to the new field. If India team doesn't play a warm up match and goes straight to play against Australia, it won't be a good result for them. I think they will lose the first game to Australia.

Few years back we have some good number of warm up matches before start of series but now due to some taugh sechedule its going less and Covid-19 is bringing some more troubles but now its time again to think about this all because its very important for visitors as they need to settle in new environment which bring some more interest in competition.

[JSRAW]

I think fair amount of Test players are schedule to play 2-3 warm up games against Australia A and if i remember the roster clearly then warm-up game would start seamlessly along with intl T-20 series (Aus vs Ind). These warm up games might help some players such as Pujara, Rahane,Vihari, Pant, Saha etc

I am glad that BCCI allowed a greater number of warmup matches this time. Normally they go for a very cramped schedule, with a maximum of just one warmup match. The players have remained in northern hemisphere for more than a year and they need time to adjust with the conditions in Australia. I am especially worried about Pujara, as the last match he played was more than 8 months back.

We could say that covid crisis forced them to send full squad together and Test series coming after ODI and T-20 so they have ample time to adjust with the conditions.

~snip~

Australia's climate and environment are completely different from India's. And their field and pitch are completely different than the pitch in Asia. India should adapt to that field and environment by playing a few warm up matches. And warm up matches will be very beneficial for players who have no previous playing experience on the Australian field.

Yeah, its different setup but nowadays Australian pitches also turning into batting paradise. Although still very different from the sub-continent pitches for obvious reasons such as there is no bounce what-so-ever in subcontinent ground.

[ene1980]

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It is quite surprising. The WBBL is ongoing right now, and if a franchise league involving 8 teams can proceed without any trouble then I don't think that there should be any issue with the bilateral series. But then, COVID 19 cases are really surging in Australia. It will be a very tough task for CA to set up bio-secure bubbles and ensure that the players remain safe.

Right now the matches are going on, if the number of positive cases reaches a level then the government will be forced to lock down everything and if that happens then the matches will be in jeopardy and it depends upon the government whether they will allow cricket to resume in a bubble.

Yeah, its different setup but nowadays Australian pitches also turning into batting paradise. Although still very different from the sub-continent pitches for obvious reasons such as there is no bounce what-so-ever in subcontinent ground.

Earlier Australia had the best bowlers to back up the performance and if the opponent have a much better fast bowling line up then it is a smart choice to prepare flat wickets and the introduction of T20 might have influenced in the preparation of these pitches.

[bryant.coleman]

Yeah, its different setup but nowadays Australian pitches also turning into batting paradise. Although still very different from the sub-continent pitches for obvious reasons such as there is no bounce what-so-ever in subcontinent ground.

It is not surprising. The TV broadcasters want the matches to stretch for at least 4 days, else they would face losses. If they prepare a pitch that favors the pacers by a lot, then there is a chance that the match will get finished within 2-3 days. The broadcaster will be left with advertisements which couldn't be telecast and may have to reimburse the fees. So for the cricket board, nowadays it is always preferable to go for flat tracks.

[JSRAW]

ICC following new point system in World Test Championship, from now on contested points/ winning percentage would determine the ranking on the table instead of points. Australia ahead of India so they are standing at no 1.