Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Juggy777]

I'm not sure but I guess he knows what's his priorities.

His channel is doing good, he's future commentator and it seems he's going to be very likable and famous if he join the commentary box. His cricketing knowledge is amazing and we need such commentators especially from India because majority of our commentators are mediocre except Harsha (Dinesh Kartik started very well tho).

How much these guys earn from the job as commentators? I guess the pay level will be much lower than what they would earn from the IPL. And for Ashwin, he still goes for well over $1 million a year in the IPL auctions. So I don't think that he has any immediate plan to take retirement from the game and concentrate on the commentator job. I agree with you on the mediocre quality of Indian commentators. Sanjay Manjrekar is a perfect example. It surprises me that this guy is not yet fired by his employer.

@Vishnu.Reang I wouldn’t be surprised if IPL commentators are over paid, because if they don’t do good commentary then the match will seem dull to viewers who’re watching it at home. Furthermore even if they remove him then how many quality replacements do you think they have?, and the answer is quite simple i.e. they don’t have many options but that could all change if few quality commentators became available.

[bryant.coleman]

Agreed with Dinesh Karthik. He has just started, but his language seems to be much better than some of the other options such as Gavaskar and Manjrekar. But personally I would prefer non-Indian commentators, such as Danny Morrison, Simon Doull, Michael Holding, Isa Guha, Ian Bishop and Nasser Hussain. IMO, only Harsha Bhogle has enough skills to be classified along with these commentators. Perhaps the Indian viewers prefer someone like Gavaskar, because they will mix the Indian English phrases in the commentatory.

[JSRAW]

I'm not sure but I guess he knows what's his priorities.

His channel is doing good, he's future commentator and it seems he's going to be very likable and famous if he join the commentary box. His cricketing knowledge is amazing and we need such commentators especially from India because majority of our commentators are mediocre except Harsha (Dinesh Kartik started very well tho).

How much these guys earn from the job as commentators? I guess the pay level will be much lower than what they would earn from the IPL. And for Ashwin, he still goes for well over $1 million a year in the IPL auctions. So I don't think that he has any immediate plan to take retirement from the game and concentrate on the commentator job. I agree with you on the mediocre quality of Indian commentators. Sanjay Manjrekar is a perfect example. It surprises me that this guy is not yet fired by his employer.

Their yearly salary can touch 1 million easily. Usually almost all commentators gets $50-60K per series (International) and when they gets gigs in the IPL then top commentators can bag maximum $700,000.
Basically they have 3 categories in IPL.   

-English Panel   $250,000 to $500,000 (Harsha, Gavaskar, Simon etc)
-Hindi Panel   $80,000 to $350,000 (Deep Das gupta, Pathan, Akash chopra etc)
-Dugout Panel   $500,000 to $700,000 (Brian Lara, Scott Styris, Graeme Swann etc) Here they focus more on technical stuff, hence bigger pay check)

[Vishnu.Reang]

Their yearly salary can touch 1 million easily. Usually almost all commentators gets $50-60K per series (International) and when they gets gigs in the IPL then top commentators can bag maximum $700,000.
Basically they have 3 categories in IPL.   

-English Panel   $250,000 to $500,000 (Harsha, Gavaskar, Simon etc)
-Hindi Panel   $80,000 to $350,000 (Deep Das gupta, Pathan, Akash chopra etc)
-Dugout Panel   $500,000 to $700,000 (Brian Lara, Scott Styris, Graeme Swann etc) Here they focus more on technical stuff, hence bigger pay check)

Wow! Never thought that their salaries are this high. That is a very good amount, even after the 43% tax cut by the Indian government. And unlike the salaries associated with playing cricket, these salaries are expected to remain stable or increase over the years. And if someone can maintain the quality, then he can easily last for two decades (I think both Harsha and Gavaskar are in this job for more than 20 years). Dinesh Karthink will be tempted to join full-time, although his IPL salary is much higher.

[JSRAW]

^^ Ideally Kartik should play IPL for couple of more years then he could move into commentary box, his short stint with SKY was not bad. He was funny, technical, was sledging his partners so good combo and fun to listen. Tbh i'm more excited about Ashwin. IMO he's going to be badass and successful, imagine someone (Hope its Buttler  ) discussing Mankand issue with him on the air in next 10 years lol.

[Sithara007]

^^ Ideally Kartik should play IPL for couple of more years then he could move into commentary box, his short stint with SKY was not bad. He was funny, technical, was sledging his partners so good combo and fun to listen. Tbh i'm more excited about Ashwin. IMO he's going to be badass and successful, imagine someone (Hope its Buttler  ) discussing Mankand issue with him on the air in next 10 years lol.

Dinesh Karthik hasn't justified his price tag in the IPL recently. Apart from a good innings every now and then, his form has remained poor for the last two years. He is already 36 years old and in case he fails to perform in this year's IPL, then he should seriously consider retirement. Nowadays, most of the Indian players have good English speaking skills and DK can also be handy in the Tamil commentary panel (along with Ashwin). Recently, I have seen both Star Sports and Ten Sports expanding their commentary to local languages such as Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi. DK may prefer to stay with the English team, since he is more suited to that role. 

[JSRAW]

^^ Ideally Kartik should play IPL for couple of more years then he could move into commentary box, his short stint with SKY was not bad. He was funny, technical, was sledging his partners so good combo and fun to listen. Tbh i'm more excited about Ashwin. IMO he's going to be badass and successful, imagine someone (Hope its Buttler  ) discussing Mankand issue with him on the air in next 10 years lol.

Dinesh Karthik hasn't justified his price tag in the IPL recently. Apart from a good innings every now and then, his form has remained poor for the last two years. He is already 36 years old and in case he fails to perform in this year's IPL, then he should seriously consider retirement. Nowadays, most of the Indian players have good English speaking skills and DK can also be handy in the Tamil commentary panel (along with Ashwin). Recently, I have seen both Star Sports and Ten Sports expanding their commentary to local languages such as Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi. DK may prefer to stay with the English team, since he is more suited to that role. 

Well as far as performance goes. Fair amount of oldies were below par in the last season and Kartik was not alone or different in this context but his future looks bright in commentary box. IMO now he has maximum 2 years of IPL career, doesn't matter much if he's performing or not.

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Prithvi and couple of more players might join the Indian Test squad in England. 3 players got injured, Gill and Washington + Avesh Khan in recent warm up games.

[Sithara007]

Prithvi and couple of more players might join the Indian Test squad in England. 3 players got injured, Gill and Washington + Avesh Khan in recent warm up games.

Prithvi is not suited for the longer format of the game, IMO. Also, his style of play is not suitable in England (it was more suited to conditions in Sri Lanka). So it surprises me that he is packed off to England, when the T20 series against Sri Lanka is just about to start. Abhimanyu Easwaran and Wriddhiman Saha were included in the squad as reserve batsmen and now they have also rejoined the squad after completing the quarantine requirements. Saha won't be considered, as long as Rishabh Pant is available.

[JSRAW]

Prithvi and couple of more players might join the Indian Test squad in England. 3 players got injured, Gill and Washington + Avesh Khan in recent warm up games.

Prithvi is not suited for the longer format of the game, IMO. Also, his style of play is not suitable in England (it was more suited to conditions in Sri Lanka). So it surprises me that he is packed off to England, when the T20 series against Sri Lanka is just about to start. Abhimanyu Easwaran and Wriddhiman Saha were included in the squad as reserve batsmen and now they have also rejoined the squad after completing the quarantine requirements. Saha won't be considered, as long as Rishabh Pant is available.

Well Bhai if we go by this requirement then we don't have many suitable replacements but only bits and pieces kind of batters. Rahul, Mayank, Shaw, Rohit all comes in the same category. Surya Kumar yadav is also joining the squad as batsman along with Shaw and 1 more player (name is announced, may be 1 seam bowler), although i don't know if SKY is going to fit in the playing XI.

[pakhitheboss]

Prithvi and couple of more players might join the Indian Test squad in England. 3 players got injured, Gill and Washington + Avesh Khan in recent warm up games.

Prithvi is not suited for the longer format of the game, IMO. Also, his style of play is not suitable in England (it was more suited to conditions in Sri Lanka). So it surprises me that he is packed off to England, when the T20 series against Sri Lanka is just about to start. Abhimanyu Easwaran and Wriddhiman Saha were included in the squad as reserve batsmen and now they have also rejoined the squad after completing the quarantine requirements. Saha won't be considered, as long as Rishabh Pant is available.

There has been a constant debate about Prithvi shaw, some say he is suited for the shorter format and some say he is for the longer. I have seen him suited for only domestic cricket. He is a big disappointment in my opinion for all formats of International cricket. To date, I have not seen him batting the way he did in domestic cricket excluding IPL. I might be wrong but just compare him with other newcomers and you will know the difference.

[ene1980]

There has been a constant debate about Prithvi shaw, some say he is suited for the shorter format and some say he is for the longer. I have seen him suited for only domestic cricket. He is a big disappointment in my opinion for all formats of International cricket. To date, I have not seen him batting the way he did in domestic cricket excluding IPL. I might be wrong but just compare him with other newcomers and you will know the difference.

No one will debate about the skill level of Prithvi Shaw, even though he did not play a long innings the shots he played were world class and outstanding and his skill level as a batsman is visible with each of the strokes as he is not powering those shots but his timing is out of the world but he lacks concentrating and he lost his wickets to spinners, he might need to fine tune that and he will be a force to reckon in world cricket if he can be consistent with his performance.

[Iranus]

There has been a constant debate about Prithvi shaw, some say he is suited for the shorter format and some say he is for the longer. I have seen him suited for only domestic cricket. He is a big disappointment in my opinion for all formats of International cricket. To date, I have not seen him batting the way he did in domestic cricket excluding IPL. I might be wrong but just compare him with other newcomers and you will know the difference.

No one will debate about the skill level of Prithvi Shaw, even though he did not play a long innings the shots he played were world class and outstanding and his skill level as a batsman is visible with each of the strokes as he is not powering those shots but his timing is out of the world but he lacks concentrating and he lost his wickets to spinners, he might need to fine tune that and he will be a force to reckon in world cricket if he can be consistent with his performance.

Prithvi Shaw is now a world class and skilled player no doubt about it. But now it seems he has lost form or is not able to maintain the continuity of performance. He scored 43 in the first match against Sri Lanka, 13 in the second and 49 in the third. He was dismissed for zero in the first T20. The team expects more from him.

[SaShiRaJaVu]

~
Prithvi Shaw is now a world class and skilled player no doubt about it. But now it seems he has lost form or is not able to maintain the continuity of performance. He scored 43 in the first match against Sri Lanka, 13 in the second and 49 in the third. He was dismissed for zero in the first T20. The team expects more from him.

Prithvi Shaw is a young talent but he needs to improve playing against spin and the moving ball, in foreign tours the moving balls were troubling him and even today he got out to a moving ball in T20 International and to play Test cricket especially in foreign pitches he needs to improve his batting and needs experience and for that he needs to play domestic matches outside India and whenever he plays in India i am sure he will score big.

[Sithara007]

Prithvi Shaw is a young talent but he needs to improve playing against spin and the moving ball, in foreign tours the moving balls were troubling him and even today he got out to a moving ball in T20 International and to play Test cricket especially in foreign pitches he needs to improve his batting and needs experience and for that he needs to play domestic matches outside India and whenever he plays in India i am sure he will score big.

Playing a few county matches in the UK might help him, as in India the players don't get regular opportunities to play in green surfaces that are supportive of pace bowling. But the big question is does Prithvi Shaw has the patience to play test cricket? Some of the younger Indian players (Rishabh Pant is an example) have a habit of batting in test format just like they do in the T20. That may or may not work for them, depending on the opponent. But they will be successful, if they change their strategies for test matches, and I haven't seen any of these younger Indian players doing that.

[Juggy777]

Prithvi Shaw is a young talent but he needs to improve playing against spin and the moving ball, in foreign tours the moving balls were troubling him and even today he got out to a moving ball in T20 International and to play Test cricket especially in foreign pitches he needs to improve his batting and needs experience and for that he needs to play domestic matches outside India and whenever he plays in India i am sure he will score big.

Playing a few county matches in the UK might help him, as in India the players don't get regular opportunities to play in green surfaces that are supportive of pace bowling. But the big question is does Prithvi Shaw has the patience to play test cricket? Some of the younger Indian players (Rishabh Pant is an example) have a habit of batting in test format just like they do in the T20. That may or may not work for them, depending on the opponent. But they will be successful, if they change their strategies for test matches, and I haven't seen any of these younger Indian players doing that.

@Sithara007 I have a different perspective here when it come to these player’s, because we’re so used to seeing slow and boring cricket in test so we tend to get annoyed when player’s like these try to quickly score runs.

Lastly in my opinion instead of playing slow and steady cricket, it’s time these player’s are allowed to express themselves, till they can get odd 50 - 200 runs I see no harm in them attacking the opposition bowler.

[Vishnu.Reang]

@Sithara007 I have a different perspective here when it come to these player’s, because we’re so used to seeing slow and boring cricket in test so we tend to get annoyed when player’s like these try to quickly score runs.

Lastly in my opinion instead of playing slow and steady cricket, it’s time these player’s are allowed to express themselves, till they can get odd 50 - 200 runs I see no harm in them attacking the opposition bowler.

The criticism is not directed at their scoring rate. Personally, I would have no issue, if someone try to score a run per ball in test cricket. A lot of people criticize the fact that players like Rishabh Pant try to attack each and every ball, which would be a stupid strategy even in the T20 format. Look at the way Pant, Ashwin and Gill got out during the WTC final and you will get my point. A good player would leave good deliveries and attack those which are of poor line and length. If you throw your bat at every ball, then the term to be used for such players is not "aggressive", but "stupid".

[pakhitheboss]

There has been a constant debate about Prithvi shaw, some say he is suited for the shorter format and some say he is for the longer. I have seen him suited for only domestic cricket. He is a big disappointment in my opinion for all formats of International cricket. To date, I have not seen him batting the way he did in domestic cricket excluding IPL. I might be wrong but just compare him with other newcomers and you will know the difference.

No one will debate about the skill level of Prithvi Shaw, even though he did not play a long innings the shots he played were world class and outstanding and his skill level as a batsman is visible with each of the strokes as he is not powering those shots but his timing is out of the world but he lacks concentrating and he lost his wickets to spinners, he might need to fine tune that and he will be a force to reckon in world cricket if he can be consistent with his performance.

Who cares now what kind of shot a batsman plays? Those days are gone! If you can hit the ball, score runs and stay till the end matters. I am not saying that Prithvi Shaw is a bad batsman, what I am trying to imply is that his temperament is bad. He thinks himself to be the best batsman in the world without anything to prove his mindset. Just look at the way he enters the stadium as if he is the god of cricket. He might be good, but at present, he is not good for any format in my opinion.

[JSRAW]

Eng vs India series is about to kick in soon, top order problem is visible for both the team but when looking at tail then England is in far better position in comparison to India and if India wants to perform well or may be wining the series, which is very tough task to achieve. They need to solve their tailender problem. In recent time Indian tailenders failed to score run against the oppositions (away series), adding some nice data to show how bad they are lol

To add another point Indian bowlers also have problem when bowling against their opponent tailenders.

That's five of India's last seven defeats in Test cricket away from home. In each of those five Tests, India's first-innings score at six wickets down was better than (or, in the case of Perth, equal to) that of their opponents at the same point. But while the lower orders of England, Australia and New Zealand added 160, 75, 82, 80 and 87 to their scores in those innings, India's last four wickets added 84, 32, 45, 38 and 35.
India, quite clearly, have a lower-order problem.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/karthik-krishnaswamy-india-have-a-tailender-problem-and-its-not-one-they-can-solve-easily-1271069

[Vishnu.Reang]

I am not in favor of including some bowler in the playing XI solely because his batting is good. In the test format, the top three pace bowlers for India have been - Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami. All three are genuine tailenders and not known for their batting skills. There are pacers who have better batting skills like Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur. But I don't think that these two can match the others in terms of maturity and bowling skills. And even Siraj/Shardul can't be considered as genuine all rounders. India never had a pace bowling all rounder, ever since Manoj Prabhakar retired in 1996.

[JSRAW]

I am not in favor of including some bowler in the playing XI solely because his batting is good. In the test format, the top three pace bowlers for India have been - Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami. All three are genuine tailenders and not known for their batting skills. There are pacers who have better batting skills like Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur. But I don't think that these two can match the others in terms of maturity and bowling skills. And even Siraj/Shardul can't be considered as genuine all rounders. India never had a pace bowling all rounder, ever since Manoj Prabhakar retired in 1996.

India badly need 4th seamer who is able to contribute with the bat when touring England. They can't afford to have 4 tailenders in absence of our semi-all rounder Hardik.

Bhuvi and Shardul both can bat, at least contribute 10-20 runs, which is big plus for number 8 batter. Shardul is better batsman but Bhuvi is arguably one of the best swing bowler especially in England, although his fitness is big issue but i'm sure if he was fit to bowl in the test then he would be very strong contender for sharing new ball. I'm worry about Bumrah's form nowadays, he's doing very badly nowdays.

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Big update

- Ben Stokes taking indefinite break from all cricket (including Test series against India ). He's prioritizing his mental well being.
- Sri Lankan's cricket board banned Dickwella, Mendis and Gunathilaka almost 2 years. Reason -Breaching bio bubble in England-