Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Jateng]

New Zealand vs South Africa, 1st Test was finished and New Zealand won. New Zealand played extra ordinary in 1st inning where Rachin Ravindra and qKane Williamson showed their unbelievable performance by collecting 511 runs. That's why they hadn't needed to play more in 2nd innings. They just played 2nd inning till Kane Williamson made his century. Which was help them to won by 281 runs which is too many runs. RSA might be in pressure when they saw hugh boundaries by New Zealand and that's why RSA top batsman lost their wicket early in both innings. Nobody did even half century in first match. David Bedingham did 87 runs alone in 2nd wickets but rest of playes were gone for low run.  If they could play with patient then maybe winning run different will be less.

NewZealand showed outclassed performance in first test match by Winning 281 huge runs. NewZealand batting was very impressed me Kane Williamson outstanding talented player of New Zealand scoring century in both innings of match in first inning they scored 118 runs and in second inning they played very aggressive 109 (132) and set a challenging total for South Africa. I think This big win only possible by batting performance of Rachin Ravindra they scored double century in first match 240 runs and also bowling very well took two wickets 2/16.

[JSRAW]

It was expected, right? CSA prioritized SA20 over the test series. This is why I always say that the ICC World Test Championship should be scrapped and boards should be able to decide on how many test matches they play every year. If the boards can decide on the number of ODI and T20I matches they play every year, then I don't know why the ICC is so adamant regarding the test matches. Test cricket is dying and there is no point in kicking a dead horse. It benefits no one. Just because ICC is awash with funds, they don't need to splurge that on test matches.

It's a tricky situation, On the one hand, teams like India, England and Australia play 5 test match series against each other every year, on the other hand, other countries are struggling to sustain even 2 test match series.

WTC will lose its relevance for sure if it continues like that. One could argue that if ICC fixes revenue share fairly this issue might be resolved but at the same time they have to do something about "1 ICC tournament every year". No cookies to figure out why.

[hafiztalha]

New Zealand vs South Africa, 1st Test was finished and New Zealand won. New Zealand played extra ordinary in 1st inning where Rachin Ravindra and qKane Williamson showed their unbelievable performance by collecting 511 runs. That's why they hadn't needed to play more in 2nd innings. They just played 2nd inning till Kane Williamson made his century. Which was help them to won by 281 runs which is too many runs. RSA might be in pressure when they saw hugh boundaries by New Zealand and that's why RSA top batsman lost their wicket early in both innings. Nobody did even half century in first match. David Bedingham did 87 runs alone in 2nd wickets but rest of playes were gone for low run.  If they could play with patient then maybe winning run different will be less.

1 st test game was overed New Zealand team vs South Africa team and South Africa team won toss and they gave a opportunity to New Zealand for first batting lineup. In q st inning of New Zealand team, New Zealand team scored very high runs 511 runs this runs were enough for win. R.Ravindra achieved double century and scored 245 runs in 366 balls with twenty two 4s and three 6s. K.Willionmson also scored 118 runs in 289 balls with sixteen 4s. In 1 st Inning of south Africa team only chase down 162 runs and left 349 runs for chasing. In 2 nd inning of New Zealand, again K.Williomson scored 109 runs in 132 balls with twelve 4s and one 6s. South Africa team against failed to chase down all target and win this game this game was totally one sided game. New Zealand team won this game by 281 runs and lead by one game.

[JahriMeayer]

New Zealand and South Africa both are good team. They have popular batsman as well as skillful bowlers. But new Zealand New Zealand won by 281 runs. Winning difference was huge. South Africa failed to perform good in batting and bowling because their cricket board didn't sent experienced players in their squad to play with new Zealand. Most of South African players in squad, are newbie who played 2/3 Test matches only. So what could we expect from them while their experience players are busy to playing in SA20 (T20 franchise cricket tournament). Otherwise maybe new Zealand were won also but run difference hadn't a huge like 281 runs. But i must say, contribution of Kane Williamson and youngster Rachin Ravindra, is unforgettable and Rachin Ravindra would be another legend in upcoming days in new Zealand cricket history.

[Patrol69]

New Zealand and South Africa both are good team. They have popular batsman as well as skillful bowlers. But new Zealand New Zealand won by 281 runs. Winning difference was huge. South Africa failed to perform good in batting and bowling because their cricket board didn't sent experienced players in their squad to play with new Zealand. Most of South African players in squad, are newbie who played 2/3 Test matches only. So what could we expect from them while their experience players are busy to playing in SA20 (T20 franchise cricket tournament). Otherwise maybe new Zealand were won also but run difference hadn't a huge like 281 runs. But i must say, contribution of Kane Williamson and youngster Rachin Ravindra, is unforgettable and Rachin Ravindra would be another legend in upcoming days in new Zealand cricket history.

Although South Africa is a good team, they were not able to show good performance against New Zealand. South Africa has performed like the teams that are in the general level. The result of the match between India and Zimbabwe is the same as the result of the match between New Zealand and South Africa. I don't have anything to say about the win or loss but what I can say is that it is a shame that the South African batsmen did not score as many runs as the New Zealand batsmen in the first innings. If the batsmen batted a little more responsibly, the result of this match could have been different or the margin of victory could have been normal but it was not like that.  
South Africa are definitely a good team so our expectations are always high for them.

[Justin999]

South Africa failed to perform good in batting and bowling because their cricket board didn't sent experienced players in their squad to play with new Zealand. Most of South African players in squad, are newbie who played 2/3 Test matches only. So what could we expect from them while their experience players are busy to playing in SA20

That's true and the real fact behind why South Africa did poor performance. today there was a SA20 match and Faf du Plessis,  de Kock, Keshav Maharaj, Reeza Hendricks were playing there. Actually its their board decision whom they should sent for playing. But if Cricket South Africa (CSA) send them as main players then this match might be More interesting. Although some players from south Africa like Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham performance were impressed and Neil Brand was on fire who got total 8 wickets alone. And in new Zealand, Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson were found in their full forum. I was expecting for century but Ravindra did double century in 1st innings. Kane Williamson also did double centuries but single century in each innings

[Sithara007]

That's true and the real fact behind why South Africa did poor performance. today there was a SA20 match and Faf du Plessis,  de Kock, Keshav Maharaj, Reeza Hendricks were playing there. Actually its their board decision whom they should sent for playing. But if Cricket South Africa (CSA) send them as main players then this match might be More interesting. Although some players from south Africa like Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham performance were impressed and Neil Brand was on fire who got total 8 wickets alone. And in new Zealand, Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson were found in their full forum. I was expecting for century but Ravindra did double century in 1st innings. Kane Williamson also did double centuries but single century in each innings

Agreed on Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham and Neil Brand. But good performance from these three players were not able to make up for the poor form from the 8 other players. Honestly I was expecting a bit more from Raynard van Tonder and Zubayr Hamza in the batting department and Duanne Olivier/Dane Paterson. Because these players were in good form during the domestic 4-day series. But they failed to adjust to international cricket. Also, it proves that South Africa doesn't have enough depth in their player pool. 

[JSRAW]

No official news but it looks like Shreyas Iyer complained about back spasm (an unofficial term for dropping from the team)   and might not feature in 3rd test.

BCCI are still keeping things tight on squad announcements because they are waiting for updates on KL Rahul and Jaddu's injuries and we know how long it takes letters to be delivered by Indian post so reasonable excuse.  

[Bureau]

No official news but it looks like Shreyas Iyer complained about back spasm (an unofficial term for dropping from the team)   and might not feature in 3rd test.

BCCI are still keeping things tight on squad announcements because they are waiting for updates on KL Rahul and Jaddu's injuries and we know how long it takes letters to be delivered by Indian post so reasonable excuse.  

There is speculative news circling in different media outlets that are saying that Kohli won't be available for the last three test matches. Pujara might be called in as his replacement and he would be part of the team for the three tests. BCCI was supposed to announce the final squad yesterday and there was a delay due to Kohli's unavailability in announcing the names. Pujara has been in form and has won a century in the Ranji trophy so I guess if the news is correct then he would replace Kohli.   

[libert19]

No official news but it looks like Shreyas Iyer complained about back spasm (an unofficial term for dropping from the team)  and might not feature in 3rd test.

lol, I was thinking same.


India team for remaining 3 tests announced:

Rohit (C), Bumrah (VC), Jaiswal, Gill, Rahul, Patidar, Sarfaraz, Dhruv Jurel, Bharat, Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar, Sundar, Kuldeep, Siraj, Mukesh, Akash Deep.

Rahul and Jadeja availability depends on fitness.  Kohli remains unavailable. Maiden call for Akash deep — saw some of his stuff on YT, seems like decent bowler.

[Sithara007]

Akash Deep recently performed well for India A against the England Lions. In total, he picked up 11 wickets from 2 test matches. He opened the bowling for India A, along with Arshdeep Singh, with Yash Dayal for backup. So it was not really surprising to hear about his inclusion to the test squad. That said, England has performed quite decently so far. They had a hard fought win in the first match, and then they lost the second match by a moderate margin. The third match will take place at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot and a win here can put England in a strong position.

[JSRAW]

~snip~

There is speculative news circling in different media outlets that are saying that Kohli won't be available for the last three test matches. Pujara might be called in as his replacement and he would be part of the team for the three tests. BCCI was supposed to announce the final squad yesterday and there was a delay due to Kohli's unavailability in announcing the names. Pujara has been in form and has won a century in the Ranji trophy so I guess if the news is correct then he would replace Kohli.   

Virat not coming back in the team is official now. Fortunately/Unfortunately team management has moved on from the likes of Pujara and Rahane. Pujara started scoring runs and minting tons after ton but i guess it's no use and the transition period already started in the Indian team. Although i still believe that Pujara's services are needed in Australia (only).

India team for remaining 3 tests announced:

Rohit (C), Bumrah (VC), Jaiswal, Gill, Rahul, Patidar, Sarfaraz, Dhruv Jurel, Bharat, Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar, Sundar, Kuldeep, Siraj, Mukesh, Akash Deep.

Rahul and Jadeja availability depends on fitness.  Kohli remains unavailable. Maiden call for Akash deep — saw some of his stuff on YT, seems like decent bowler.

If Jaddu is fit then i am afraid they might drop Kuldeep. I hope they go with only 1 seamer + 3 spin allrounder and Kuldeep.

I don't understand what management is thinking. For the first 2 tests they called up Avesh and now he's out and a new guy comes in. They are not even sure about anything and worse there is no explanation coming from the management, all i see is speculation. 

[elevates]

Jadeja can bat when needed but Kuldeep Yadav cannot, his fitness is a concern and the management might not pick him in the third test. Jurel should replace Bharat as he has not been the best with his form, he is not even good in taking DRS calls. The problem is with the middle order and Kohli's replacement. I haven't found anyone suitable except KL Rahul. I doubt he would bat in that order if he is fit as he has been batting really well in the 5th position. Kohli missing out all the matches means something serious has happened in his personal life. I hope he gets out of the problem and get ready for the T20 world cup.

[fuguebtc]

Jadeja can bat when needed but Kuldeep Yadav cannot, his fitness is a concern and the management might not pick him in the third test. Jurel should replace Bharat as he has not been the best with his form, he is not even good in taking DRS calls. The problem is with the middle order and Kohli's replacement. I haven't found anyone suitable except KL Rahul. I doubt he would bat in that order if he is fit as he has been batting really well in the 5th position. Kohli missing out all the matches means something serious has happened in his personal life. I hope he gets out of the problem and get ready for the T20 world cup.

With the T20 World Cup coming up I hope all the major players will be ready to play. Virat Kohli missing out on all the matches is definitely a little concerning. But I am not sure if anything in his personal life actually happened or something. I have no idea about that. But I hope he will be able to play without any problems in the World Cup. Because we know how hard it is to replace a player like him.

Jadeja might not be a better bowler than Kuldeep Yadav but he is definitely a better all rounder and he can also throw the ball very well from almost anywhere, bringing in a run out from nothing.

[JSRAW]

Jadeja can bat when needed but Kuldeep Yadav cannot, his fitness is a concern and the management might not pick him in the third test. Jurel should replace Bharat as he has not been the best with his form, he is not even good in taking DRS calls. The problem is with the middle order and Kohli's replacement. I haven't found anyone suitable except KL Rahul. I doubt he would bat in that order if he is fit as he has been batting really well in the 5th position. Kohli missing out all the matches means something serious has happened in his personal life. I hope he gets out of the problem and get ready for the T20 world cup.

We don't know what kind of wicket they are preparing atm but traditionally Rajkot is a batting track and batters enjoy scoring runs there so you need all your big guns who are doing well with the ball.

If it's a flat wicket then you must play your 5 main bowlers who can take 20 wickets. It's their job to assess the pitch and go with the right combination, be it 4 spinners + 1 seamer or 3 spinners + 2 seamers. In the latter combination, they should replace Jaddu with the Axar, not Kuldeep.

Kuldeep didn't do anything wrong and bowled exceptionally well in the last test so it'd be unfair for management to drop him, only because batters are not doing their job and they want to strengthen their batting lineup. The top order and middle order need to step up and score some runs for a change. How many times do they want number 7-8-9 to save their bum? The lower order has been doing heavy lifting for the last 3-4 years with the ball and bat.

Also if it's not a spinning track then bring Jurel as he's handy with the bat but we never know what management is thinking as the Rohit-Dravid duo is following a defensive strategy.

[Haunebu]

I don't understand what management is thinking. For the first 2 tests they called up Avesh and now he's out and a new guy comes in. They are not even sure about anything and worse there is no explanation coming from the management, all i see is speculation. 

It looks like Kohli might miss out on the entire series and the rumors might be true after all which sucks since he is a game-changer especially in the test and ODI formats in my opinion.

Also, I guess management is bamboozled at the moment because they didn't so many major players to get injured/become unavailable simultaneously.

[Sithara007]

It looks like Kohli might miss out on the entire series and the rumors might be true after all which sucks since he is a game-changer especially in the test and ODI formats in my opinion.

Also, I guess management is bamboozled at the moment because they didn't so many major players to get injured/become unavailable simultaneously.

A lot of drama regarding Kohli's absence for the remainder of the series. AB de Villiers was forced to apologize, after Kohli fans targeted him for claiming that Virushka's "second child is on the way". He made the claim through YouTube, and offered the apology in the same platform itself. BCCI is also quite tightlipped. Official statement claims that Kohli will be absent for "personal reasons". Kohli and Anushka were supposed to attend the pran prathistha function in Ayodhya Sriram Mandir (22nd January), but they withdrew at the last minute citing the same reason. 

[Bitcoin Smith]

Kuldeep didn't do anything wrong and bowled exceptionally well in the last test so it'd be unfair for management to drop him, only because batters are not doing their job and they want to strengthen their batting lineup. The top order and middle order need to step up and score some runs for a change. How many times do they want number 7-8-9 to save their bum? The lower order has been doing heavy lifting for the last 3-4 years with the ball and bat.

Also if it's not a spinning track then bring Jurel as he's handy with the bat but we never know what management is thinking as the Rohit-Dravid duo is following a defensive strategy.

I would still prefer Kuldeep to be in the playing XI because finger spinners are wicket takers and in flat wickets like Rajkot they might needed him badly even if one or two partnership builds up.

And I am really concerned about Rohit's test form too because it's depleted completely and he has to step up like what he did in WC then only the middle order might regain their confidence. If Iyer is not playing I strongly prefer Pujara to be played but as said Team management is looking for the future talents but they failed to make it in the Balanced way.

[Sithara007]

I would still prefer Kuldeep to be in the playing XI because finger spinners are wicket takers and in flat wickets like Rajkot they might needed him badly even if one or two partnership builds up.

And I am really concerned about Rohit's test form too because it's depleted completely and he has to step up like what he did in WC then only the middle order might regain their confidence. If Iyer is not playing I strongly prefer Pujara to be played but as said Team management is looking for the future talents but they failed to make it in the Balanced way.

Akash Deep  maybe making his debut and that means that two pacers will be in the playing XI (Akash and Jasprit Bumrah). For the spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel are almost certain to be included. And this creates uncertainty for Kuldeep Yadav (also Washington Sundar is in the squad as well). In case Ravindra Jadeja is not fit, then he may get a chance. And I don't understand your post about Pujara. He is not even in the squad. Iyer maybe replaced by either Rajat Patidar or Sarfaraz Khan.   

[JSRAW]

~snip~.

A lot of drama regarding Kohli's absence for the remainder of the series. AB de Villiers was forced to apologize, after Kohli fans targeted him for claiming that Virushka's "second child is on the way". He made the claim through YouTube, and offered the apology in the same platform itself. BCCI is also quite tightlipped. Official statement claims that Kohli will be absent for "personal reasons". Kohli and Anushka were supposed to attend the pran prathistha function in Ayodhya Sriram Mandir (22nd January), but they withdrew at the last minute citing the same reason. 

IMO BCCI is doing alright on keeping its lips sealed and not leaking any sort of news, considering Indian media's hunger for TRP is never ending affair and respecting someone's personal space is an alien concept to them. 

~snip~

I would still prefer Kuldeep to be in the playing XI because finger spinners are wicket takers and in flat wickets like Rajkot they might needed him badly even if one or two partnership builds up.

And I am really concerned about Rohit's test form too because it's depleted completely and he has to step up like what he did in WC then only the middle order might regain their confidence. If Iyer is not playing I strongly prefer Pujara to be played but as said Team management is looking for the future talents but they failed to make it in the Balanced way.

Small correction; Kulee is a wrist spinner, not off spinner.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, the Indian batting lineup is in a transition period and management has moved on from Pujara-Rahane and there is virtually no chance for comeback. Although there might be a slight possibility of some window opening for Away BGT but again for this, all new guys need to perform badly.

After Pujara-Rahane, a discussion on Rohit will come up if he keeps failing with the bat. He has 2 years of test cricket left at best anyway, given he's in form.