Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Sithara007]

In IPL he might be an average player but in Ranji Trophy he's making a ton of runs, I guess in the last 2 seasons he's averaging like 90+. Anyway, BCCI already named Kishan as KL's replacement and Ruturaj, Mukesh Kumar, and SKY are standby players.

During the home season, Cummins looked incredible but yeah he lost his marble in tough away conditions (India). Having said that i don't know if CA thinking about Smith as a skipper.

Kishan will be there in the playing XI, and there is a 90% chance that he will open along with Shubman Gill. Rohit Sharma may bat at no.3, and Virat may be no.4. But that would mean that only one out of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane can be included in the team. I am OK with dropping Pujara, because he was pathetic against Australia during the BGT. Ajinkya Rahane has also underperformed recently. His test average is 20.82 for the year 2021, and just 17.00 for 2022. If a choice needs to be made between these two, then I would prefer Pujara instead of Rahane.

[JSRAW]

In IPL he might be an average player but in Ranji Trophy he's making a ton of runs, I guess in the last 2 seasons he's averaging like 90+. Anyway, BCCI already named Kishan as KL's replacement and Ruturaj, Mukesh Kumar, and SKY are standby players.

During the home season, Cummins looked incredible but yeah he lost his marble in tough away conditions (India). Having said that i don't know if CA thinking about Smith as a skipper.

Kishan will be there in the playing XI, and there is a 90% chance that he will open along with Shubman Gill. Rohit Sharma may bat at no.3, and Virat may be no.4. But that would mean that only one out of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane can be included in the team. I am OK with dropping Pujara, because he was pathetic against Australia during the BGT. Ajinkya Rahane has also underperformed recently. His test average is 20.82 for the year 2021, and just 17.00 for 2022. If a choice needs to be made between these two, then I would prefer Pujara instead of Rahane.

Highly doubt that, if Kishan is playing then he'll replace KS Bharat mot someone else. I don't see any changes in the Top 4.

Gill-Rohit will open, Pujara will continue on his 1 down position (He playing county atm and piling up runs), Kohli and there are high chances of Rahane batting at 5.

[pakhitheboss]

Highly doubt that, if Kishan is playing then he'll replace KS Bharat mot someone else. I don't see any changes in the Top 4.

Gill-Rohit will open, Pujara will continue on his 1 down position (He playing county atm and piling up runs), Kohli and there are high chances of Rahane batting at 5.

I do not think the team management will make any changes to the top order. If Kishan is selected then he would be a replacement for Bharat and he might bat at this position. Bharat's performance as a batter in the last matches was not that good. I also feel that Kishan might bat also bat where Iyer use to. He is an aggressive batter we have seen him score a century against Bangladesh. 

[JSRAW]

Highly doubt that, if Kishan is playing then he'll replace KS Bharat mot someone else. I don't see any changes in the Top 4.

Gill-Rohit will open, Pujara will continue on his 1 down position (He playing county atm and piling up runs), Kohli and there are high chances of Rahane batting at 5.

I do not think the team management will make any changes to the top order. If Kishan is selected then he would be a replacement for Bharat and he might bat at this position. Bharat's performance as a batter in the last matches was not that good. I also feel that Kishan might bat also bat where Iyer use to. He is an aggressive batter we have seen him score a century against Bangladesh.  

I agree and i am also kinda favoring Ishan Kishan in the playing XI in place of Bharat. Only because he's a superior bat when compared to Bharat.

Bharat is definitely a good gloveman behind the wicket but Wicket Keeping won't be tough in England. I also agree it's a bit unfair to Bharat as he won't get a long rope but the team desperately needs an extra batter for the finals.

[elevates]

I agree and i am also kinda favoring Ishan Kishan in the playing XI in place of Bharat. Only because he's a superior bat when compared to Bharat.

Bharat is definitely a good gloveman behind the wicket but Wicket Keeping won't be tough in England. I also agree it's a bit unfair to Bharat as he won't get a long rope but the team desperately needs an extra batter for the finals.

What a joke! Bharat just got an opportunity and now you guys want Ishan Kishan to be part of the playing 11. I am not in favor of this selection in the team that will play the final. I think Bharat needs to be part of the team and I feel somehow he will bat well. Just by selecting Kishan I am sure Bharat would do his level best to perform.

[JSRAW]

I agree and i am also kinda favoring Ishan Kishan in the playing XI in place of Bharat. Only because he's a superior bat when compared to Bharat.

Bharat is definitely a good gloveman behind the wicket but Wicket Keeping won't be tough in England. I also agree it's a bit unfair to Bharat as he won't get a long rope but the team desperately needs an extra batter for the finals.

What a joke! Bharat just got an opportunity and now you guys want Ishan Kishan to be part of the playing 11. I am not in favor of this selection in the team that will play the final. I think Bharat needs to be part of the team and I feel somehow he will bat well. Just by selecting Kishan I am sure Bharat would do his level best to perform.

It's about horses for courses scenario.

It's a one-off test and an important one, if by any chance it was a bilateral affair with a 3-5 test match series then my first choice for WK would be Bharat but since that's not the case so I'd prefer going with the limited reputation they have in the international cricket and atm Indian team batting need some sort of backup at lower order.

[Sithara007]

Highly doubt that, if Kishan is playing then he'll replace KS Bharat mot someone else. I don't see any changes in the Top 4.

Gill-Rohit will open, Pujara will continue on his 1 down position (He playing county atm and piling up runs), Kohli and there are high chances of Rahane batting at 5.

I don't know whether the two test specialists (Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara deserve anymore chances). During the last 4 years, Pujara's batting average has remained below 35. There are far more deserving batsmen who can bat at no.3. Well.. I know that he is currently participating in county cricket, and scoring tons of runs for Sussex. But scoring in domestic matches doesn't always translate to runs at international level. Rahane is even worse. He has scored a grand total of 547 runs during the last two years, at an average of 20.26. Why is this guy still present in the test squad?

[pakhitheboss]

I don't know whether the two test specialists (Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara deserve anymore chances). During the last 4 years, Pujara's batting average has remained below 35. There are far more deserving batsmen who can bat at no.3. Well.. I know that he is currently participating in county cricket, and scoring tons of runs for Sussex. But scoring in domestic matches doesn't always translate to runs at international level. Rahane is even worse. He has scored a grand total of 547 runs during the last two years, at an average of 20.26. Why is this guy still present in the test squad?

I do not understand why Pujara always gets a chance. Rahane was removed due to poor performance earlier. They selected him after his aggressive performance in the ongoing IPL. A lot should be credited to MSD for showing confidence in Rahane. I think they both will be part of the playing 11 but I do agree there are other talents in India who can replace Pujara in test cricket. 

[justdimin]

What a joke! Bharat just got an opportunity and now you guys want Ishan Kishan to be part of the playing 11. I am not in favor of this selection in the team that will play the final. I think Bharat needs to be part of the team and I feel somehow he will bat well. Just by selecting Kishan I am sure Bharat would do his level best to perform.

It's about horses for courses scenario.

It's a one-off test and an important one, if by any chance it was a bilateral affair with a 3-5 test match series then my first choice for WK would be Bharat but since that's not the case so I'd prefer going with the limited reputation they have in the international cricket and atm Indian team batting need some sort of backup at lower order.

Yeah, it's just one off test with very important for the Indian team as well because they already lost previous final and now need to be better here for the second one which needs more power in batting as well and Kishan can do good at number five or six because we already have five top batsmen which are settled so need to have strength at lower order which can bring good impact for any team and +2 spinner all-rounders and Shardul Thakur already available with these all Kishan could be bonus.

Bowling options are already discussed with Mohammad Shami/ Siraj duo could be OK because right now no one want to add semi retired Ishant into team for the just one test match with he is also not good right now as well.

[JSRAW]

Highly doubt that, if Kishan is playing then he'll replace KS Bharat mot someone else. I don't see any changes in the Top 4.

Gill-Rohit will open, Pujara will continue on his 1 down position (He playing county atm and piling up runs), Kohli and there are high chances of Rahane batting at 5.

I don't know whether the two test specialists (Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara deserve anymore chances). During the last 4 years, Pujara's batting average has remained below 35. There are far more deserving batsmen who can bat at no.3. Well.. I know that he is currently participating in county cricket, and scoring tons of runs for Sussex. But scoring in domestic matches doesn't always translate to runs at international level. Rahane is even worse. He has scored a grand total of 547 runs during the last two years, at an average of 20.26. Why is this guy still present in the test squad?

On Pujara i don't agree with you and @pakhitheboss's reasoning.

You can make exactly the same argument for Virat as well if we put aside his last marathon inning against Australia on a dead pitch. There is a fair chance of Pujara failing at his role again but you have to back your senior players when they are showing signs of good form. Rahane only got in because of Iyer's injury (IPL form is a minor reason for selection).

Mohammad Shami/ Siraj duo

Yeah, this duo is there and will be key for India, let's hope the former keeps his form and the latter concentrates on his bowling instead of trash talk.

[Juggy777]

Highly doubt that, if Kishan is playing then he'll replace KS Bharat mot someone else. I don't see any changes in the Top 4.

Gill-Rohit will open, Pujara will continue on his 1 down position (He playing county atm and piling up runs), Kohli and there are high chances of Rahane batting at 5.

I don't know whether the two test specialists (Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara deserve anymore chances). During the last 4 years, Pujara's batting average has remained below 35. There are far more deserving batsmen who can bat at no.3. Well.. I know that he is currently participating in county cricket, and scoring tons of runs for Sussex. But scoring in domestic matches doesn't always translate to runs at international level. Rahane is even worse. He has scored a grand total of 547 runs during the last two years, at an average of 20.26. Why is this guy still present in the test squad?

On Pujara i don't agree with you and @pakhitheboss's reasoning.

You can make exactly the same argument for Virat as well if we put aside his last marathon inning against Australia on a dead pitch. There is a fair chance of Pujara failing at his role again but you have to back your senior players when they are showing signs of good form. Rahane only got in because of Iyer's injury (IPL form is a minor reason for selection).

Mohammad Shami/ Siraj duo

Yeah, this duo is there and will be key for India, let's hope the former keeps his form and the latter concentrates on his bowling instead of trash talk.

@JSRAW both Pujara and Rahane have gotten multiple chances now and they failed in those chances thus they now need to make way for other player’s hence I was really surprised to see that these two were back. Also Virat will be dropped soon I guess because he’s been in poor form and I really don’t think his selection is now a guarantee, as I trust Dravid to take the hard calls and make a team for the long run.

[pakhitheboss]

On Pujara i don't agree with you and @pakhitheboss's reasoning.

You can make exactly the same argument for Virat as well if we put aside his last marathon inning against Australia on a dead pitch. There is a fair chance of Pujara failing at his role again but you have to back your senior players when they are showing signs of good form. Rahane only got in because of Iyer's injury (IPL form is a minor reason for selection).

I am not a big fan of Kohli! He might have a big following but he has shown very rare moments where he can handle pressure. That was the reason he was removed from captaincy as his batting was going down the drain. Iyer was one of the factor but you cannot deny the new agressive Rahane. I have a feeling he might get selected for the ODI WC squad too.

Yeah, this duo is there and will be key for India, let's hope the former keeps his form and the latter concentrates on his bowling instead of trash talk.

We need trash talker and intimidators in the Indian team. The more these guys are agressive the more enjoyable will be the match. Shiraz has improved his bowling a lot after he got dropped few years back. At the moment both Shami and him are in the best form.

[Sithara007]

@JSRAW both Pujara and Rahane have gotten multiple chances now and they failed in those chances thus they now need to make way for other player’s hence I was really surprised to see that these two were back. Also Virat will be dropped soon I guess because he’s been in poor form and I really don’t think his selection is now a guarantee, as I trust Dravid to take the hard calls and make a team for the long run.

This is what I have to say about Pujara and Rahane as well. They have been given infinite number of chances by the BCCI and still they are failing every now and then. Time has come to replace these two with some of the promising youngsters. Anyway, these two are near the end of their careers. I don't understand why the BCCI is still sticking with them. WTC final is an one-off test and therefore may not be the ideal occasion to test some of the younger players, but then this should be the final chance for both Pujara and Rahane. Enough is enough.

[JSRAW]

@JSRAW both Pujara and Rahane have gotten multiple chances now and they failed in those chances thus they now need to make way for other player’s hence I was really surprised to see that these two were back. Also Virat will be dropped soon I guess because he’s been in poor form and I really don’t think his selection is now a guarantee, as I trust Dravid to take the hard calls and make a team for the long run.

This is what I have to say about Pujara and Rahane as well. They have been given infinite number of chances by the BCCI and still they are failing every now and then. Time has come to replace these two with some of the promising youngsters. Anyway, these two are near the end of their careers. I don't understand why the BCCI is still sticking with them. WTC final is an one-off test and therefore may not be the ideal occasion to test some of the younger players, but then this should be the final chance for both Pujara and Rahane. Enough is enough.

Emotions shouldn't take the lead when selecting the squad. You must have a backup when sidelining the senior players, and also a couple of more points.

- You never airdrop debutants in alien conditions and that too in finals (in the context of Ruturaj, Sarfraz etc).
- Current form plays a big role and right now Pujara is in good knick and already smashed 2-3 tons in the county. You don't have his backup, Vihari was the main candidate but after the Sydney test bravery, he almost lost his charm.
- You dropped Rahane for a good reason and it was the right thing to do but don't forget we had his replacement Iyer ready to dig in, unfortunately, he's injured.

This cycle is about to finish and we will definitely witness a change in the top 5 for sure but my reading is that Rohit will be first to go, not Virat or Pujara. Pujara plays only 1 format and can continue for another cycle unless management pushes Gill to play at his position (he's preferable position). Rahane will be on the watch too but he start minting a couple of 80s or tons then he'll continue for some time.

I am also expecting Rohit and Virat to take retirement from the ODI format, if not official retirement then unofficial for sure. Management already quietly sidelined them from the T-20 setup.

Yeah, this duo is there and will be key for India, let's hope the former keeps his form and the latter concentrates on his bowling instead of trash talk.

We need trash talker and intimidators in the Indian team. The more these guys are agressive the more enjoyable will be the match. Shiraz has improved his bowling a lot after he got dropped few years back. At the moment both Shami and him are in the best form.

I do agree and I'm his supporter in red ball cricket as i believe he's future but every time he starts trash-talking, he also starts leaking runs and loses the plot.

[Sithara007]

For the Indian team, the next test series after WTC final is going to be the tour of West Indies, where they are supposed to play two matches (July-August 2023). And after this one, the next series will be held after the Asia Cup and ODI World Cup, in December 2023. India will be travelling to South Africa, to take part in a multi-format series that includes two test matches. So a total of 5 test matches are scheduled till the end of this year. WTF final is a one-off match, but for sure the Indian selectors can do some experimentation with selection for the remaining 4 matches.

[JSRAW]

WTF final is a one-off match, but for sure the Indian selectors can do some experimentation with selection for the remaining 4 matches.

They will surely make some changes in the squad and we might witness new names in the rank, especially for the Windies tour as it's considered an easy tour.

After this maybe new guys can make their cases for the SA tour, which is a tough tour for India and winning there still remains a pipe dream for the Indian team.

[SirLancelot]

WTF final is a one-off match, but for sure the Indian selectors can do some experimentation with selection for the remaining 4 matches.

They will surely make some changes in the squad and we might witness new names in the rank, especially for the Windies tour as it's considered an easy tour.

After this maybe new guys can make their cases for the SA tour, which is a tough tour for India and winning there still remains a pipe dream for the Indian team.

Now it's time for Indian selectors to do some experiments after WTC Final pick youngsters for the tour of West Indies because they have enough players for giving them chances Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and few others are reaching to end their careers so giving chances to youths in not bad idea which will give them confidence and experience as well in red ball format which is also looking for better intention from them.

SENA tours are never been easy so going with mostly experienced players are good idea but keeping youths for other tours surely good change with quality and performance will be increased, and we will be able to do things with better way in future as well.

[DanWalker]

WTF final is a one-off match, but for sure the Indian selectors can do some experimentation with selection for the remaining 4 matches.

They will surely make some changes in the squad and we might witness new names in the rank, especially for the Windies tour as it's considered an easy tour.
After this maybe new guys can make their cases for the SA tour, which is a tough tour for India and winning there still remains a pipe dream for the Indian team.

Now it's time for Indian selectors to do some experiments after WTC Final pick youngsters for the tour of West Indies because they have enough players for giving them chances Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and few others are reaching to end their careers so giving chances to youths in not bad idea which will give them confidence and experience as well in red ball format which is also looking for better intention from them.
SENA tours are never been easy so going with mostly experienced players are good idea but keeping youths for other tours surely good change with quality and performance will be increased, and we will be able to do things with better way in future as well.

I absolutely agree. India has a very good men's squad right now. So they should be concentrating on improving the next generation of players. It is true that the best players of the team are actually going to retire very soon.

I actually have a feeling that the next generation of the Indian cricket team is going to be very good. We are already seeing that players like Suryakumar performing really well. And there are a lot of players in India waiting for a chance to play for the Indian national team.

So, I don't think it will be an issue for India. But at the same time, they will have to try to create a team from the earlier stages.

[JSRAW]

~snip~

So, I don't think it will be an issue for India. But at the same time, they will have to try to create a team from the earlier stages.

Yeah, the overall transition period won't be that bad but it's a challenging phase for any team.

If not done properly then it would only hurt the test team for years or even decades. WI, SL, SA, and PAK are fine examples.

There are a few concerns for the Indian team despite having bench strength. Personally, in the long run, I am not worried about the batting and seam department much but the spin department. Really need to find not one but 2 quality spin all-rounders to replace Jaddu and Ashwin. Patel could be like for like replacement for Jadeja but Ashwin's replacement is missing atm.

[pakhitheboss]

Personally, in the long run, I am not worried about the batting and seam department much but the spin department. Really need to find not one but 2 quality spin all-rounders to replace Jaddu and Ashwin. Patel could be like for like replacement for Jadeja but Ashwin's replacement is missing atm.

There are two spinners in my mind who might replace Ashwin. The first one is Washington Sundar, who is also an offspinner and the second one is Chahal. Washington Sundar can bat too but Chahal cannot. What makes Washington Sundar a good choice is that he has been part of the test team whereas Chahal has not. Another important point here is that Washington Sundar has played in all three formats of cricket.

India's batting is of concern as we have seen in the past how they have struggled against quality spin bowling. After the big guns retire I do not see anyone in the present time taking their place.