Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[JSRAW]

Any idea how many changes we are going to see in the next game?

Options available according to batting order

Gill or KL Rahul  > Shaw (Don't forget KL Rahul was shit in the last tour. Result, dropped from the national team and Gill is new so hard choice.)
KL Rahul or Gill  > Kohli
Rishab Pant > Saha (Not sure how are they going to justify this change, if they do replace Saha)
Saini/Shiraj > Shami (I really hope they go out of the box and include Natarajan in the playing XI)

[1714671874]

1714671874

[1714671874]

1714671874

[Vishnu.Reang]

Gill or KL Rahul  > Shaw (Don't forget KL Rahul was shit in the last tour. Result, dropped from the national team and Gill is new so hard choice.)
KL Rahul or Gill  > Kohli
Rishab Pant > Saha (Not sure how are they going to justify this change, if they do replace Saha)
Saini/Shiraj > Shami (I really hope they go out of the box and include Natarajan in the playing XI)

My choice would be:

1. KL Rahul ahead of Shaw/Gill
2. Gill as replacement for Kohli
3. Saha as the WK
4. Natarajan as the 3rd pacer, ahead of either Saini or Siraj

Pant is being preferred by Kohli and the team management, and therefore I don't think that Saha is going to get another chance. The management is going to argue that Pant is a better batsmen when compared to Saha. And regarding the slot for the 3rd pacer, both Saini and Siraj are not suitable for the role. Both of them are inexperienced, and short-tempered.

[JSRAW]

Gill or KL Rahul  > Shaw (Don't forget KL Rahul was shit in the last tour. Result, dropped from the national team and Gill is new so hard choice.)
KL Rahul or Gill  > Kohli
Rishab Pant > Saha (Not sure how are they going to justify this change, if they do replace Saha)
Saini/Shiraj > Shami (I really hope they go out of the box and include Natarajan in the playing XI)

My choice would be:

1. KL Rahul ahead of Shaw/Gill
2. Gill as replacement for Kohli
3. Saha as the WK
4. Natarajan as the 3rd pacer, ahead of either Saini or Siraj

Pant is being preferred by Kohli and the team management, and therefore I don't think that Saha is going to get another chance. The management is going to argue that Pant is a better batsmen when compared to Saha. And regarding the slot for the 3rd pacer, both Saini and Siraj are not suitable for the role. Both of them are inexperienced, and short-tempered.

If we take a close look at last tour then Hanuma Vihari is not bad option for Top order. He did opened the inning when everybody was clueless after the failure of KL Rahul-Murli Vijay. They could try him again at the top order along with Mayank. This would give them option to keep Gill and Rahul at the middle order as i think Rahul is too vulnerable against new ball.

To be very frank, will always prefer Pant over Saha when playing in SENA countries because of batting. I have mentioned many times that he didn't perform bad in overseas when playing in test cricket. I think he's the only Indian wicket keeper to make 100s in England and Australia, its a big achievement for any young boy and he didn't make any mistakes behind the wicket so far, although i consider Saha superior when its comes to gloves.

I prefer Natarajan too, he came as a underdog and making name for himself but i think they are going to rob this poor guy. Would be very happy if he debut in the next game, doesn't matter if he fails or something. Just want to see if he can handle himself in the pressure game.

[teosanru]

Any idea how many changes we are going to see in the next game?

Options available according to batting order

Gill or KL Rahul  > Shaw (Don't forget KL Rahul was shit in the last tour. Result, dropped from the national team and Gill is new so hard choice.)
KL Rahul or Gill  > Kohli
Rishab Pant > Saha (Not sure how are they going to justify this change, if they do replace Saha)
Saini/Shiraj > Shami (I really hope they go out of the box and include Natarajan in the playing XI)

I think Gill and KL Rahul is going to be an obvious change that the team would have. Gill had batted brilliantly in the tour match he definitely deserves a match. KL Rahul was in great form from IPL and then T20 I think he is an obvious choice in place of Shaw.
But I agree with JSRaw I don't want Pant in place of Saha. Only reason to include Pant would be to get a left hander in the team. I don't know why is no one talking about this. But the complete batting Line-up of Indian team has no lefty I think this does gives a great advantage to Aussies in tests. Right hand left hand combination especially in opening does have a great advantage.

But talking about 3rd pacer it's a difficult choice to make. Problem is that Test bowling is different from other formats. You just can't go on to bowl Yorkers or bouncers and get away. The most important thing is to move the ball Saini is better than Natrajan in that whereas Shami is much better than both in them. So i feel Shami should remain intact in the team.

[Vishnu.Reang]

If we take a close look at last tour then Hanuma Vihari is not bad option for Top order. He did opened the inning when everybody was clueless after the failure of KL Rahul-Murli Vijay. They could try him again at the top order along with Mayank. This would give them option to keep Gill and Rahul at the middle order as i think Rahul is too vulnerable against new ball.

To be very frank, will always prefer Pant over Saha when playing in SENA countries because of batting. I have mentioned many times that he didn't perform bad in overseas when playing in test cricket. I think he's the only Indian wicket keeper to make 100s in England and Australia, its a big achievement for any young boy and he didn't make any mistakes behind the wicket so far, although i consider Saha superior when its comes to gloves.

I prefer Natarajan too, he came as a underdog and making name for himself but i think they are going to rob this poor guy. Would be very happy if he debut in the next game, doesn't matter if he fails or something. Just want to see if he can handle himself in the pressure game.

Hanuma Vihari as an opener is not a bad option. But if BCCI is having such plans for him, then it would have been better to experiment this during the warmup matches against the Australia A first. Anyway, it is a good option and Gill/Rahul will be more than happy to bat at the middle-order. I don't have a preference regarding Saha/Pant, so the selection of Pant works for me. BTW Natarajan doesn't enjoy support from "powerful" circles. I just hope that he will not end up like Karun Nair.

[mersal]

But talking about 3rd pacer it's a difficult choice to make. Problem is that Test bowling is different from other formats. You just can't go on to bowl Yorkers or bouncers and get away. The most important thing is to move the ball Saini is better than Natrajan in that whereas Shami is much better than both in them. So i feel Shami should remain intact in the team.

No matter how good a bowler is in the short format his patience level will be tested for sure in the long format because they need to face a different situations even they need to bowl for the entire day and go wicketless which will definitely affect the confidence level. But we shouln't go to that much level for now just look at their capabilities and hope for the best is the smart option so in my opinion, choosing Natarajan is the better choice because he is having the ability to destroy the opponent batting lineup which already proved by his performance in the short format in the same conditions as well.

[7788bitcoin]

~
He's in Sydney. 3rd test is scheduled there so he directly went there and going over mandatory 14 days quarantine.  He could join the Indian team around 30th dec.

That is good, he will be joining the team and his inclusion depends upon how the Indian players perform in the boxing day match.

Pant is being preferred by Kohli and the team management, and therefore I don't think that Saha is going to get another chance. The management is going to argue that Pant is a better batsmen when compared to Saha.

India is already dropping catches in the field and they need a specialist keeper who could hold on to their catches. Pant can play his shots but yet to convince me as a good keeper.

I prefer Natarajan too, he came as a underdog and making name for himself but i think they are going to rob this poor guy. Would be very happy if he debut in the next game, doesn't matter if he fails or something. Just want to see if he can handle himself in the pressure game.

Even i prefer to see Natarajan since Shami is injured and India does not have a good left hand seam bowler and he is a good choice.

[JSRAW]

~snip~
I don't know why is no one talking about this. But the complete batting Line-up of Indian team has no lefty I think this does gives a great advantage to Aussies in tests. Right hand left hand combination especially in opening does have a great advantage.

But talking about 3rd pacer it's a difficult choice to make. Problem is that Test bowling is different from other formats. You just can't go on to bowl Yorkers or bouncers and get away. The most important thing is to move the ball Saini is better than Natrajan in that whereas Shami is much better than both in them. So i feel Shami should remain intact in the team.

Good point...

Pant and Natarajan could fill that gaps tho. In domestic both Natarajan and Saini has more or less similar performance. Shami is injured bhai and already ruled out.

BTW Natarajan doesn't enjoy support from "powerful" circles. I just hope that he will not end up like Karun Nair.

His future is secure in IPL. National team is another drama, let's hope for the best.

[Sithara007]

Even i prefer to see Natarajan since Shami is injured and India does not have a good left hand seam bowler and he is a good choice.

Yes.. a left-arm seamer adds more variety to the attack. Shami, Saini, Siraj.etc are all right-arm pacers and they bowl at 85-90mph, with very little seam movement. Natarajan bowls at a slightly slower pace, and is able to get a lot of seam movement when compared to the others. But then Saini and Siraj are preferred, because they play for the same IPL franchise as Virat Kohli. IMO, Siraj's inclusion to the test squad can be solely attributed to this.

[mersal]

Even i prefer to see Natarajan since Shami is injured and India does not have a good left hand seam bowler and he is a good choice.

Yes.. a left-arm seamer adds more variety to the attack. Shami, Saini, Siraj.etc are all right-arm pacers and they bowl at 85-90mph, with very little seam movement. Natarajan bowls at a slightly slower pace, and is able to get a lot of seam movement when compared to the others. But then Saini and Siraj are preferred, because they play for the same IPL franchise as Virat Kohli. IMO, Siraj's inclusion to the test squad can be solely attributed to this.

Since Virat Kohli is also going to miss the remaining matches still do you think that his preferred candidates will be given more priority? Saini is okay for the replacement but not sure about Siraj because he is not consistent with his bowling which can turn the total bowling unit into chaos even with small miss in the accuracy.

[pakhitheboss]

Bowlers were not the reason why India lost the first test it was the batsmen who were responsible for such a pathetic defeat. I donot think changing bowlers will do the magic. Poor fielding and  in batting should be worked on first.

[JSRAW]

BCCI just posted this in twitter so its safe to say that there would be no #ucking Natarajan in the playing XI. Siraj/Saini going to replace injured Shami.

https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1342045902203047937

[SATWAT]

Bowlers were not the reason why India lost the first test it was the batsmen who were responsible for such a pathetic defeat. I donot think changing bowlers will do the magic. Poor fielding and  in batting should be worked on first.

When you have defeat then you have to change many things not only one right now they are facing some serious dilemma as Kohli now back Rohit unable to join for second test Shami is also not available and if I am right then Ishant is also not available so too many problems around with Team India need something magic to fix.

[Vishnu.Reang]

BCCI just posted this in twitter so its safe to say that there would be no #ucking Natarajan in the playing XI. Siraj/Saini going to replace injured Shami.

https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1342045902203047937

Maybe it is a good step. Let them include Saini and Siraj. Once they get hammered all around the park by the Australian batsmen, these two will end up like Kedar Jadhav and more deserving bowlers will get the chance. The Kohli/Shastri duo is acting like a mafia now, by denying opportunity to deserving players and picking their sidekicks for the playing XI.

[teosanru]

But talking about 3rd pacer it's a difficult choice to make. Problem is that Test bowling is different from other formats. You just can't go on to bowl Yorkers or bouncers and get away. The most important thing is to move the ball Saini is better than Natrajan in that whereas Shami is much better than both in them. So i feel Shami should remain intact in the team.

No matter how good a bowler is in the short format his patience level will be tested for sure in the long format because they need to face a different situations even they need to bowl for the entire day and go wicketless which will definitely affect the confidence level. But we shouln't go to that much level for now just look at their capabilities and hope for the best is the smart option so in my opinion, choosing Natarajan is the better choice because he is having the ability to destroy the opponent batting lineup which already proved by his performance in the short format in the same conditions as well.

You are right but Shami is too good as a bowler to sit out of the playing XI i mean yes he didn't have that good first match but I still feel India would think thrice before keeping Him out of the playing XI. But yes If Shami is injured this is a golden opportunity for the other bowlers but I still feel that Siraj/ Saini are better options as they have better swing in their bowling.

~snip~
I don't know why is no one talking about this. But the complete batting Line-up of Indian team has no lefty I think this does gives a great advantage to Aussies in tests. Right hand left hand combination especially in opening does have a great advantage.

But talking about 3rd pacer it's a difficult choice to make. Problem is that Test bowling is different from other formats. You just can't go on to bowl Yorkers or bouncers and get away. The most important thing is to move the ball Saini is better than Natrajan in that whereas Shami is much better than both in them. So i feel Shami should remain intact in the team.

Good point...

Pant and Natarajan could fill that gaps tho. In domestic both Natarajan and Saini has more or less similar performance. Shami is injured bhai and already ruled out.

BTW Natarajan doesn't enjoy support from "powerful" circles. I just hope that he will not end up like Karun Nair.

His future is secure in IPL. National team is another drama, let's hope for the best.

Yeah sorry I just came to know about it today that Shami is injured. I think Pant can be a option then in place of Saha.
Coming to BCCI politics didn't the supreme court kept a tenure of 1 year on BCCI office bearers? How come Ganguly and Jay shah are continuing even after a long time? I don't know but I have started to dislike Ganguly after his recent affiliation with Jay Shah and some controversial decisions I just hope he doesn't loses his fan following due to this petty politics.

[mersal]

BCCI just posted this in twitter so its safe to say that there would be no #ucking Natarajan in the playing XI. Siraj/Saini going to replace injured Shami.

https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1342045902203047937

Maybe it is a good step. Let them include Saini and Siraj. Once they get hammered all around the park by the Australian batsmen, these two will end up like Kedar Jadhav and more deserving bowlers will get the chance. The Kohli/Shastri duo is acting like a mafia now, by denying opportunity to deserving players and picking their sidekicks for the playing XI.

Saini and Siraj are also good bowlers since they are having better Ranji records compared to Nattu but already Natrajan proved his effectiveness in that pitch conditions then why still he is not into their consideration is the big question. It's not okay to accept RCB quota into the International career.

[bryant.coleman]

Saini and Siraj are also good bowlers since they are having better Ranji records compared to Nattu but already Natrajan proved his effectiveness in that pitch conditions then why still he is not into their consideration is the big question. It's not okay to accept RCB quota into the International career.

First of all, India should have a proper India A team, which will tour countries such as Australia, South Africa, New Zealand or England at least two times a year. BCCI can include potential national team pickups such as Siraj, Saini and Natarajan in this team. Let them play against Australia A or England A, and prove their potential. It will be more justifiable than picking these players directly from the IPL and pushing them to the test squad.

[mersal]

Saini and Siraj are also good bowlers since they are having better Ranji records compared to Nattu but already Natrajan proved his effectiveness in that pitch conditions then why still he is not into their consideration is the big question. It's not okay to accept RCB quota into the International career.

First of all, India should have a proper India A team, which will tour countries such as Australia, South Africa, New Zealand or England at least two times a year. BCCI can include potential national team pickups such as Siraj, Saini and Natarajan in this team. Let them play against Australia A or England A, and prove their potential. It will be more justifiable than picking these players directly from the IPL and pushing them to the test squad.

As per the statements made by the selectors in the past they simply don't consider IPL performances to consider while picking team India squad but they actually consider IPL performances as the only criteria to get selected. So they are basically contrary to their action so we can't expect them to do such things because BCCI is interested in money-making than winning international trophies in the recent years.

[ene1980]

As per the statements made by the selectors in the past they simply don't consider IPL performances to consider while picking team India squad but they actually consider IPL performances as the only criteria to get selected. So they are basically contrary to their action so we can't expect them to do such things because BCCI is interested in money-making than winning international trophies in the recent years.

In the shorter format these kind of selection procedure will work and hence they are performing well but we are not seeing the same kind of performance in Test matches. The selection procedure for Test matches should be first class performance and the Indian middle order of Rahane and Pujara is holding the spot for a long time but the rest of the batsman keeps changing every series and until they sort that out they will always struggle while touring.

[Indymoney]

As per the statements made by the selectors in the past they simply don't consider IPL performances to consider while picking team India squad but they actually consider IPL performances as the only criteria to get selected. So they are basically contrary to their action so we can't expect them to do such things because BCCI is interested in money-making than winning international trophies in the recent years.

In the shorter format these kind of selection procedure will work and hence they are performing well but we are not seeing the same kind of performance in Test matches. The selection procedure for Test matches should be first class performance and the Indian middle order of Rahane and Pujara is holding the spot for a long time but the rest of the batsman keeps changing every series and until they sort that out they will always struggle while touring.

they need two more supports for Raane and Pujara because if you have four specialist batsmen for test team then you can enjoy otherwise you have to be really troubled in every tour of England Australia and New Zealand just try to have some good and quality batsmen in domestic cricket for just test spot is not hard job for country like India.