Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[JSRAW]

If Ishant gets in to the playing XI, then it will be good. I don't know why he was not considered for the first test. I believe that he is a far better bowler than either Mohammed Siraj or Shardul Thakur. I guess Siraj got in to the team because of the RCB quota. His test record so far is not very impressive, despite the fact that he has played almost all of his matches in seam-friendly conditions. For the second test, I would prefer three seamers (Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami), as well as two spinners (Ravindra Jadeja & Ravichandran Ashwin).

3 seam + 2 spin or 4 seam + 1 spin combination will depend on the conditions. If Kohli & co think that pitch supporting seamers then Bumrah, Shami, Siraj and Ishant will take care of seam attack. Ashwin might lose the spot because keeping Jaddu out doesn't make sense after his last performance with the bat. England also looking at 4 seam + 1 spin combination.

If conditions are different then Ashwin-Jadeja combination with 3 seamers looks fine but i'm not sure who would kohli pick as his 3rd seam option if it comes down to Siraj or Ishant. So far Siraj played 4 games in SENA countries and took 16 wickets. 6 wickets in Brisbane, 5 in Melbourne, 3 in Nottingham and 2 in Sydney so his numbers are not that bad. On the other hand Ishant record is also good and he's experienced.

[Vishnu.Reang]

I think they played Shardul Thakur because he can bat as well. But he only got a duck so that concept did not worked out and i totally agree with you. Ishant must be in the playing 11 so as ashwin they got 300 and 400 wickets respectively for india so they must be in the playing 11 without any doubt.

His batting skills are not bad, but he can't be considered as an allrounder. And at this point, I would prefer to go with the best bowlers available. Keeping an experienced pacer like Ishant out, because Shardul is a better batsman doesn't make any sense. Shardul has been given enough chances and he has failed to impress with the ball. And regarding Ashwin, I would prefer to include him in the playing XI. He adds variety to the bowling attack, and England batsmen have historically fared poorly against spin.

[JSRAW]

I think they played Shardul Thakur because he can bat as well. But he only got a duck so that concept did not worked out and i totally agree with you. Ishant must be in the playing 11 so as ashwin they got 300 and 400 wickets respectively for india so they must be in the playing 11 without any doubt.

His batting skills are not bad, but he can't be considered as an allrounder. And at this point, I would prefer to go with the best bowlers available. Keeping an experienced pacer like Ishant out, because Shardul is a better batsman doesn't make any sense. Shardul has been given enough chances and he has failed to impress with the ball. And regarding Ashwin, I would prefer to include him in the playing XI. He adds variety to the bowling attack, and England batsmen have historically fared poorly against spin.

Lol Enough chances??

Don't know what are you talking about. So far Shardul featured in 3 test match and in his debut match back in 2018, he got injured after bowling 1-ish overs so technically he has played only 2 test match. 11 wickets + 73 runs in 2 game doesn't look bad when you're batting at number 8 and how can you forget his important role in 120 +runs partnership with Sunder in Gabba where he contributed 67 runs. 

[bryant.coleman]

Stuart Broad is already out of the series, and now it looks as if James Anderson might not be fit enough to play today. In that case Saqib Mahmood may make his debut, after impressing the selectors recently with his performance in the T20 series against Pakistan. Almost half a dozen of the first line England pacers are now unavailable as a result of injury. And this includes Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Olly Stone. Maybe we can add Ben Stokes as well. So for them, the selection needs to be made between Saqib, Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Sam Curran and Craig Overton. 

[pakhitheboss]

India vs England, Again rain!!
Will this match happend today or not. Why do they organize tournaments in a location when it is known it will rain in summer. I think today's day will be lost due to rain.

[JSRAW]

Rain interrupted the first session and they took early lunch. Overcast condition and Anderson is bowling, deadly combination for any batters and for Indian perspective it was very nervous and tight 18 overs session, our openers did excellent job surviving Anderson-Robinson's spells and bowlers looked a bit frustrated. Atm scorecard is looking good (thanks to Sam Curran) but situation can change very quickly because of tough conditions.

Hope Indian openers keep batting like this for may be 1 more session.

----------
Edit

First 50 runs opening partnership for India at the Lord's since 1952 lol

[kro55]

Rain interrupted the first session and they took early lunch. Overcast condition and Anderson is bowling, deadly combination for any batters and for Indian perspective it was very nervous and tight 18 overs session, our openers did excellent job surviving Anderson-Robinson's spells and bowlers looked a bit frustrated. Atm scorecard is looking good (thanks to Sam Curran) but situation can change very quickly because of tough conditions.

Hope Indian openers keep batting like this for may be 1 more session.

----------
Edit

First 50 runs opening partnership for India at the Lord's since 1952 lol

India collection 77 without losing any wicket. Rohit Sharma's collected 56. Kl Rahul is unbeaten on 15, he has played 67 balls. The Indian two batsmen have made an extraordinary start. Whatever you say, this is their best opening partnership at Loards. I think this match will also be a draw. The way the Indian team has started, they will undoubtedly be able to collect more than 350 runs effortlessly.

[bryant.coleman]

103/0 now. Excellent start by India. Anderson doesn't look 100% fit, and the other bowlers are struggling. But I just noticed that Mohammed Siraj has been picked ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin. This is a very poor decision, IMO. Siraj was the worst performing bowler in the first test and in case Ishant had to be included, then that could have been done by dropping Siraj. On the other hand, they dropped Shardul, who is more handy with the bat. Anyway, RCB quota in play... what to say here. Disappointed at the absence of Ashwin.

[JSRAW]

^^ I also think that Ashwin could have been handy here. In this match England has 3 left hand batters and Ashwin is most successful spinner against lefty in the cricket history.

~snip~

First 50 runs opening partnership for India at the Lord's since 1952 lol

India collection 77 without losing any wicket. Rohit Sharma's collected 56. Kl Rahul is unbeaten on 15, he has played 67 balls. The Indian two batsmen have made an extraordinary start. Whatever you say, this is their best opening partnership at Loards. I think this match will also be a draw. The way the Indian team has started, they will undoubtedly be able to collect more than 350 runs effortlessly.

I guess now it is highest 2nd highest opening stand by any visiting team.

No need to jinx tho lol, we shouldn't forget that its Duke ball and English conditions. Dukes hardly gets soft and move throughout the day, tricky situation during overcast condition. Wickets always comes in cluster and possibility of mini collapse always available in such conditions.

Seam bowler Anderson and Wood are back with their new spell, so both batters need to be careful here if they successfully see off this period then big positive for India..  

------
Edit

Damn Rohit is gone, he missed a ton in the lords.  

[bryant.coleman]

Scoring rate went down after Rohit got out. If India could make a total of above 350, then there is a real chance that England will be forced to follow on. Other than this, getting a result will be difficult as the weather predictions are not looking great. England bowlers look really pathetic, especially Mark Wood and Sam Curran. Now I understand why they included James Anderson in the playing XI, despite the fact that he was not 100% fit. Without him, it would be just cakewalk for the Indian batsmen.

[CryptoBuds]

Scoring rate went down after Rohit got out. If India could make a total of above 350, then there is a real chance that England will be forced to follow on. Other than this, getting a result will be difficult as the weather predictions are not looking great. England bowlers look really pathetic, especially Mark Wood and Sam Curran. Now I understand why they included James Anderson in the playing XI, despite the fact that he was not 100% fit. Without him, it would be just cakewalk for the Indian batsmen.

India lost Cheteshwar Pusjara's wicket very quickly after Rohit Sharma was dismissed. He was out for just 9 runs. Now Kohli and Rahul are in the crease. Kohli did not perform well in the last match. Was out for zero in the first innings. Pujara did not play well in the previous match and, as usual, performed poorly today. However, expect a big partnership from Kohli and Rahul.

[JSRAW]

175 runs on the board, 33 overs left. One set batman Rahul along with Kohli, it seems situation is very much under control from Indian point of view. England would not be too happy after winning the toss. You expect your bowlers to strike early when opting to bowl first. India on the other hand would be very happy if they add even 80-90 runs in remaining 33 overs and lose may be 1 wicket? Wicket less would put India in very strong position.

Pujara's form is going down the drain, i'm afraid this could be his last test match in this series. Rahane looks safe tho.

[bryant.coleman]

175 runs on the board, 33 overs left. One set batman Rahul along with Kohli, it seems situation is very much under control from Indian point of view. England would not be too happy after winning the toss. You expect your bowlers to strike early when opting to bowl first. India on the other hand would be very happy if they add even 80-90 runs in remaining 33 overs and lose may be 1 wicket? Wicket less would put India in very strong position.

Pujara's form is going down the drain, i'm afraid this could be his last test match in this series. Rahane looks safe tho.

India is in a very strong position, but I was disappointed to see Cheteshwar Pujara getting out once again for such a small score. Today it was the perfect opportunity for him, because when he arrived at the crease, the openers had already put up a decent toal. Unfortunately he couldn't handle James Anderson. I couldn't remember the last time when he got a test century for India. Earlier this year, his performance was poor during the home series against England as well. It looks as if he will be dropped after this series.

[ene1980]

Did the Lords pitched turned to be a batting wicket, India is marching forward and they just lost 2 wickets and was KL Rahul there in the full squad earlier because India was having different openers in the last few series i saw and KL Rahul is taking the opportunity and he cemented the place with a century in this match and he is playing solid and along with Kohli they might put a huge total on board and with the bowlers India have they should trouble the England batsman but it all depends upon how the pitch will behave.

Edit: Virat Kohli is finally gone .

[eaLiTy]

~
First 50 runs opening partnership for India at the Lord's since 1952 lol

I did not know this stats and they went on to score a century partnership and KL Rahul is still in the crease and hopefully goes on to score a double century, the pitch looks like there is nothing much to offer for the bowlers and the only thing India need to do is to put a total excess of 500 runs and see whether England crumbles under pressure and for that Ajinkya Rahane should play a crucial innings with Kohli back in the pavilion.

[Mahdirakib]

Did the Lords pitched turned to be a batting wicket, India is marching forward and they just lost 2 wickets and was KL Rahul there in the full squad earlier because India was having different openers in the last few series i saw and KL Rahul is taking the opportunity and he cemented the place with a century in this match and he is playing solid and along with Kohli they might put a huge total on board and with the bowlers India have they should trouble the England batsman but it all depends upon how the pitch will behave. ~

It seems so, the pitch reports says that it's a batting friendly pitch and it may turn as good for bowlers in the final two days. India has already made a good total by losing three wickets only. India will have the highest possibility to win this match if the pitch behaves as it was reported. Otherwise we will see another draw test match of this series.

[7788bitcoin]

~
It seems so, the pitch reports says that it's a batting friendly pitch and it may turn as good for bowlers in the final two days. India has already made a good total by losing three wickets only. India will have the highest possibility to win this match if the pitch behaves as it was reported. Otherwise we will see another draw test match of this series.

Possible another draw if there is rain intervention and with a batting pitch you cannot expect a result if there is sessions lost due to rain. India ended the day on a good score and the match depends upon how long the Indian batsman will bat tomorrow and if England could pick up wickets in quick succession then we might see a match at hands, if not another draw.

[pakhitheboss]

Did the Lords pitched turned to be a batting wicket, India is marching forward and they just lost 2 wickets and was KL Rahul there in the full squad earlier because India was having different openers in the last few series i saw and KL Rahul is taking the opportunity and he cemented the place with a century in this match and he is playing solid and along with Kohli they might put a huge total on board and with the bowlers India have they should trouble the England batsman but it all depends upon how the pitch will behave. ~

It seems so, the pitch reports says that it's a batting friendly pitch and it may turn as good for bowlers in the final two days. India has already made a good total by losing three wickets only. India will have the highest possibility to win this match if the pitch behaves as it was reported. Otherwise we will see another draw test match of this series.

K L Rahul is still on the pitch and he has been batting very well. I am sure if he stays on then India will be able to score more than 350. Unless the rain disrupts the match India should be able to win this test match. The wicket will get deteriorated as the match progresses and it will not be easy for English batsmen.

[Sithara007]

India made 276/3. Now there are only two possible outcomes to this match - either India is going to win this, or we will get another boring draw as a result of rain interruption. Apart from the 39-year old James Anderson, none of the England bowlers looked as if they had the ability to trouble the Indian batsmen. I had high hopes for Ollie Robinson, but he was disappointing yesterday. Perhaps all the controversy surrounding the tweets he made a decade ago took its toll. BTW, Kohli's dry run continues.. this time he got a start, but couldn't get to a 50.   

[Swordsoffreedom]

In the Test match between Pakistan and West Indies, Pakistan lost all their wickets by scoring only 217 runs in the first innings. But the funny thing is, West Indies lost 2 wickets for 2 runs in just 4 overs of their innings. I thought the West Indies had a chance to win this match. But I forgot that they are too much weak in Test format. It seems that Pakistan will win this match if they will bat well in their 2nd innings.