India cricket Discussion and predictions [self-mod]

[Bitcoin Smith]

We don't want to cricket fever to end just because of the world cup's final defeat and cricket has always been the most celebrated thing in India, so this self moderated thread will be the continuation of our ICC World Cup 2023 - India discussion and this can be used for discussions and predictions about all the future events related to team India in cricket.

Started as Self moderated thread to prevent spam...

Fixtures of 5 T20I between India vs Australia which starts from today.

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[pakhitheboss]

Good, see that you created this thread for us to continue our discussion. I was not expecting it to be done so fast as I thought you might do it later on. Today the match will be played in Vizag, it starts at 7 pm. I was checking the betting odds for the match and it clearly favors the Australian team. We all know that the Indian team consists of new players and a new Captain. Naturally, the Indian team cannot be the favourite and it will be quite interesting to see who is in the playing 11 in the first match. I am not expecting any kind of miracle from this Indian side but I have a feeling that they would play well today.

[Bureau]

Indian team is struggling and in the same way, Jio Cinema buffers without any reason. I wanted to hear the English commentary, while I opted for it. The buffering starts and when I select Hindi commentary it works smoothly. Ultimately it does not work with Jio when it is not IPL. I guess they are concentrating only on IPL and not bilateral series. I might be wrong but are you guys facing the same issue as I am facing? I did check with my broadband service provider and they said the same thing it is an issue with the streaming platform.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Jio Cinema buffers without any reason. I guess they are concentrating only on IPL and not bilateral series. I might be wrong but are you guys facing the same issue as I am facing? I did check with my broadband service provider and they said the same thing it is an issue with the streaming platform.

I faced the similar issue too and its probably due to the app was overcrowded and their servers might crashed because even for the world cup final we get to the viewrship around 5.3cr but in Jio at one point there were 11.2cr viewers and after that it crashed and started to buffer even while having no issues with internet speed. Hopefully jio will resolve the issue in the next match.

India looked like struggling but no, it was clean sweep from Indian team. Yes, the inexpereinced bowling went for lot of runs and Inglis utlized the condition in his favor but still India managed to chase it and it got interested in the final over where three consecutive wickets feel and Rinku again done the job.

Got a bandaid on the big wounds.

[pakhitheboss]

Jio Cinema buffers without any reason. I guess they are concentrating only on IPL and not bilateral series. I might be wrong but are you guys facing the same issue as I am facing? I did check with my broadband service provider and they said the same thing it is an issue with the streaming platform.

I faced the similar issue too and its probably due to the app was overcrowded and their servers might crashed because even for the world cup final we get to the viewrship around 5.3cr but in Jio at one point there were 11.2cr viewers and after that it crashed and started to buffer even while having no issues with internet speed. Hopefully jio will resolve the issue in the next match.

India looked like struggling but no, it was clean sweep from Indian team. Yes, the inexpereinced bowling went for lot of runs and Inglis utlized the condition in his favor but still India managed to chase it and it got interested in the final over where three consecutive wickets feel and Rinku again done the job.

Got a bandaid on the big wounds.

I also faced the same buffering issue that is the problem a streaming platform faces when they offer free streaming for an Indian cricket match. BTW, Doordarshan Sports is a free TV channel where you can watch all cricket games played in India.

Yesterday, I felt the bowling was not up to the mark, which might be due to the pitch being a batting paradise. The fielding was sloppy and some easy catches were dropped, not to forget Bishnoi dropping two catches which I felt were not that tough.

Batting was not that up to the mark, except for Ishan Kishan, SKY, and Rinku Singh all of them were trying to hit the ball rather than timing it. Rinku Singh as we all know does well in the lower order and due to his brilliant batting India won the first game. SKY as usual at his best when he plays a T20 match, it would be his first win as a Captain in International cricket. If he had played in the same manner in the finals of the ODIWC we would have won the trophy for the third time.

AFTER WATCHING SKY BAT YESTERDAY THIS IS WHAT I NOW THINK ABOUT HIM!

[Bureau]

AFTER WATCHING SKY BAT YESTERDAY THIS IS WHAT I NOW THINK ABOUT HIM!

The ghost of defeat in the World Cup has been haunting me and after watching SKY batting so aggressively it is now controlling my mind 

WTF!

A batter like him, who can hit 360 degrees, struggling to bat in the World Cup! Watching him bat as he is supposed to play, made me realize how much influence and corruption is still active within BCCI. A board that was like the board of Srilanka suddenly became the richest board because of Modi who conceived the Idea of IPL. If it was not for IPL and JIO cheap internet this board would have died or would have become a laughing stock like PCB is now.

I feel there should be a separate team for the three formats and I think that is what is happening now. The problem is that for all three formats, there is one selection team. I would be right if they have selectors only for T20 cricket and another for ODI. Test cricket will die down soon, we are seeing a big decline in test cricket and we will see it out of cricket team schedules.

[Bitcoin Smith]

How many of you guys are keeping the track of IPL release, trades and retention?

Tomorrow will be the dead line to submit the official reports so we will get to see how many guys were switched to another franchise and it seems some of the big players to be released like Ben Stokes from CSK, Jofra Archer from MI.

But the surprising news/rumour I saw is Hardik traded to MI for GT took 15cr? If that is true then how do you see that.

[pakhitheboss]

But the surprising news/rumour I saw is Hardik traded to MI for GT took 15cr? If that is true then how do you see that.

If Hardik Pandya is being traded to MI then who do you think would become the Captain of GT. I heard another rumour that Rohit Sharma is being released by MI and most probably would be taken by RCB. If that is true then Hardik would become the Captain of MI.

There is another rumour circulating that Virat would be released by RCB. I doubt that he would be bit if that happens then Rohit would be come the captain of RCB. Now I have zero clue as to which team would be onboarding Virat. If these rumours are true then we would here other big names too in the coming days.

[TheUltraElite]

The IPL trade session is another secondary betting session for the gamblers in India. Here in my locality some slum dwellers are betting on the games and trades everyday and earning from them enough that each house member owns an Android phone in addition to a couple of motorbikes. I wonder how much tax evasion these people are doing such that I haven't been able to own my vehicle yet.

In either case I will wait till this trade drama ends, it shuts down all the professionalism in the game in my opinion. Apart from the cute girls who come on TV with these sessions though.

[Bureau]

The IPL trade session is another secondary betting session for gamblers in India. Here in my locality some slum dwellers are betting on the games and trades everyday and earning from them enough that each house member owns an Android phone in addition to a couple of motorbikes. I wonder how much tax evasion these people are doing such that I haven't been able to own my vehicle yet.

In either case I will wait till this trade drama ends, it shuts down all the professionalism in the game in my opinion. Apart from the cute girls who come on TV with these sessions though.

Sum dwellers in India are the once who benefit more than the middle class. Apart from exclusive government policies for them, these guys make a decent amount of daily wages to spend on booze and gambling every day. Engaging in gambling is quite common for them, I remember the time when lottery was quite common in many states. they were the ones who were engaged in the lottery so much that it became quite frequent to hear one of them winning the amount.

the second T20 match will be played today, in the last match Indian bowling and fielding were not up to the mark. Only a few batters batted well and due to Rinku Sing's and SKY's efforts, we won the match. I hope India plays more sensibly today and wins again.

[libert19]

Hardik Pandya rumour was only a rumour, he stays with GT. GT team still one of the strongest in tourney, this year also we are likely to see MI/CSK/GT in finals.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Hardik Pandya rumour was only a rumour, he stays with GT. GT team still one of the strongest in tourney, this year also we are likely to see MI/CSK/GT in finals.

It seems they traded after the retention deadline passed and trade window extended until December 12.

Hardik returns to MI, Cameron Green moves to RCB

Pretty weird though, so we can't trust the retained list until Dec 12 and GT traded Hardik? From cricketing perspective its worst decision but IPL has been business than cricket.

[pakhitheboss]

Australia won the toss and chose to bowl first thinking that the dew factor would play an important role in the second half. Seeing Bishnoi and Patel effectively bowling and taking regular wickets shows things did not work as expected by Australia. Indian batting was at its best with Jaiswal leading with explosive batting.  Ishaan Kishan has now scored back-to-back half-centuries in this tournament. Australia should win the next match otherwise the interest to watch the bilateral series would be lost.

All of the rumors in regards to major players being released are rumors. It seems they are trying to create a bit of hype before the IPL auction starts. I am not sure why they need the hype.

[libert19]

Hardik Pandya rumour was only a rumour, he stays with GT. GT team still one of the strongest in tourney, this year also we are likely to see MI/CSK/GT in finals.

It seems they traded after the retention deadline passed and trade window extended until December 12.

Hardik returns to MI, Cameron Green moves to RCB

Pretty weird though, so we can't trust the retained list until Dec 12 and GT traded Hardik? From cricketing perspective its worst decision but IPL has been business than cricket.

That was such a fiasco, I kept myself glued to X for this update only, after retentions were confirmed I took sigh of relief because I liked him in GT, it's his territory after all. But, apparently they retained him only to trade him.

Hopefully, Williamson will lead the GT now.

[pakhitheboss]

The third T20 match would be played today. India is already leading the bilateral series under the captaincy of SKY. Today if the win the game then they win the series. Something inside me 😏 is saying that they will lose today. I hope the don't but if they do then it would make the series more interesting.

The stars of both the games so far has been Rinku Singh with his batting and Bishnoi with his spin bowling. Jaiswal was out of his league in the last game and I feel he will continue to bat in the same manner. As usual Australia had a bad start to the series and I feel they would make a comeback today.

[Bureau]

Found the above image getting circulated on the social media. I don't know how much truth is in the information, I believe if he has asked for more then he was not wrong.

In just a few hours India would be playing the third match of the bilateral series. The Indian team is looking far better that the Australian. I hope they win today and secure the series.

[pakhitheboss]

Maxwell at his best again, snatched the game out of India's hand. What way to get his century in a series decider game. I had the feeling that Australia would come back and they did it because of Maxwell. Rituraj Gaikwad was brilliant yesterday, he got his first T20I century and that also when most Indian batters were struggling against the New Australian pace attack.

Indian pace attack was not upto the mark I felt. It is possible due to the dew factor that they struggled. The last over by Krishna could have been bowled far better if it was Arshdeep. SKY missed that calculation and we lost the match.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Indian pace attack was not upto the mark I felt. It is possible due to the dew factor that they struggled. The last over by Krishna could have been bowled far better if it was Arshdeep. SKY missed that calculation and we lost the match.

Prasidh Krishna has been a total failure in all the three games and I don't know how he has been elected for the WC squad.

The match has been total thriller due to the batting paradise condition but Indian pacers could have done a little better cause failing to defend 220+ os really a bad thing at any ground. As you said its Maxi show again and he has to be departed early or else the game is going to be snatched just like yesterday that is where SKY missed the trick as captain in my opinion.

[pakhitheboss]

Prasidh Krishna has been a total failure in all the three games and I don't know how he has been elected for the WC squad.

Unfortunately he is now part of an elite group of bowlers, who have conceded most runs in an innings. He is now comfortably ranked 6th on that list with 68 runs in 4 overs. Yesterday in the last over he conceded 23 runs to get his ranking confirmed on that list.

I expected a bit of professional approach from him, whereas he was bowling in the similar fashion like the Afghan pace bowlers did against Maxwell in the concluded WC. I still remember Wasim Akram saying that if you fail over the wicket then go round the wicket. We have seen Shami doing it frequently when he bowls. Being in the T20 squad doesn't guarantee that he will be part of the playing 11.

[libert19]

Indian pace attack was not upto the mark I felt. It is possible due to the dew factor that they struggled. The last over by Krishna could have been bowled far better if it was Arshdeep. SKY missed that calculation and we lost the match.

Dunno if it's dew or they are just bad, in previous two matches too India only won due to batting brilliance. Deepak Chahar has been added to the squad from next game, hopefully we will see him in place of Prasidh.

[Bureau]

Indian pace attack was not upto the mark I felt. It is possible due to the dew factor that they struggled. The last over by Krishna could have been bowled far better if it was Arshdeep. SKY missed that calculation and we lost the match.

Dunno if it's dew or they are just bad, in previous two matches too India only won due to batting brilliance. Deepak Chahar has been added to the squad from next game, hopefully we will see him in place of Prasidh.

Deepak Chahar is another big failure considering that out of 24 innings he played in a T-20 international cricket he has got only 2 maiden overs and has conceded 703 runs. He was outstanding when he debuted till he made IPL his way of business and after that, he was never chosen to be part of the team. It is ironic that BCCI selectors are now looking for him as a solution to the waste seamers that are currently bowling in this series. They should have looked into some new guys who have never played an international T-20 league.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Indian pace attack was not upto the mark I felt. It is possible due to the dew factor that they struggled. The last over by Krishna could have been bowled far better if it was Arshdeep. SKY missed that calculation and we lost the match.

Dunno if it's dew or they are just bad, in previous two matches too India only won due to batting brilliance. Deepak Chahar has been added to the squad from next game, hopefully we will see him in place of Prasidh.

Deepak Chahar is another big failure considering that out of 24 innings he played in a T-20 international cricket he has got only 2 maiden overs and has conceded 703 runs. He was outstanding when he debuted till he made IPL his way of business and after that, he was never chosen to be part of the team. It is ironic that BCCI selectors are now looking for him as a solution to the waste seamers that are currently bowling in this series. They should have looked into some new guys who have never played an international T-20 league.

Team India got only 11 T20I games ahead of 2024 T20 WC, so I don't think it is ideal to look for players who are yet to debut for team India. I agree that Deepak Chahar hasn't been that good but he did pretty decent also developed bowling few death overs since the last IPL. Hopefully team India will groom the team after the WC ends with new talents, now all they can do is find out the better options from the one we already got.

[pakhitheboss]

Team India got only 11 T20I games ahead of 2024 T20 WC, so I don't think it is ideal to look for players who are yet to debut for team India. I agree that Deepak Chahar hasn't been that good but he did pretty decent also developed bowling few death overs since the last IPL. Hopefully team India will groom the team after the WC ends with new talents, now all they can do is find out the better options from the one we already got.

I am suprised that the Indian team will be playing only 11 T20 games before the World Cup. Why are they now playing test cricket and ODI against the upcoming bilateral series with South Africa. Again Hardik Pandya is missing in the squad is he not fit enough to play in the bilateral series? SKY has been declared as the captain of the T20 squad which is fine as it would give him more experience. Considering his present stint in the current series he should be given more exposure.

[Bitcoin Smith]

I am suprised that the Indian team will be playing only 11 T20 games before the World Cup. Why are they now playing test cricket and ODI against the upcoming bilateral series with South Africa. Again Hardik Pandya is missing in the squad is he not fit enough to play in the bilateral series? SKY has been declared as the captain of the T20 squad which is fine as it would give him more experience. Considering his present stint in the current series he should be given more exposure.

We can't boycott other formats just because we got t20 WC in less than a year, but I understand I had the same feeling as well when I found about only 11 games and three of them were against AFG.

Hardik is not fit yet, so he will be rested until he recovers completely, and I see some positive signs from the selection committee in the SA series and feel like they give equal opportunity for newcomers in t20 and ODI.

[Bureau]

India won the series!

A good accomplishment from the young India side. The first series win for SKY as a captain. When they started batting first and lost wickets in regular interval I felt that they would lose today. Even the target was not that much considering the batters in the Australian side. But, the bowlers today were consistent not to forget Axar Pater 4 overs, 3 wickets and only 16 runs. Rinku Singh again batted well, he proved today that he is much more than a finisher.

[pakhitheboss]

India won the series!

A good accomplishment from the young India side. The first series win for SKY as a captain. When they started batting first and lost wickets in regular interval I felt that they would lose today. Even the target was not that much considering the batters in the Australian side. But, the bowlers today were consistent not to forget Axar Pater 4 overs, 3 wickets and only 16 runs. Rinku Singh again batted well, he proved today that he is much more than a finisher.

Yup! Series win by the Indian B team is a great achievement. SKY getting his first series is another accomplishment for him. The only thing that is bothering me is his batting as he has been very inconsistent. He did not have a good World Cup and in this series he batted well only in two games.

India won because of good bowling and fielding yesterday. Axar Patel was intense and his bowling figures tells it all. Deepak Chahar took two wickets but he was way too much expensive. Bishnoi again took the first wicket for India in this series. Seam bolwing is still not up to where it is expected to be after seeing three best seamers in the World Cup.

[Bitcoin Smith]

He did not have a good World Cup and in this series he batted well only in two games.

India won because of good bowling and fielding yesterday. Axar Patel was intense and his bowling figures tells it all. Deepak Chahar took two wickets but he was way too much expensive. Bishnoi again took the first wicket for India in this series. Seam bolwing is still not up to where it is expected to be after seeing three best seamers in the World Cup.

I would say SKY didn't got more time to bat so at the end he will go big or get caught so its not a big issue.

Axar who is doing great didn't get picked for the SA series that is surprising but It's sad to see that he left out from the WC and now again he performed and left out for SA series.

Indian pacers need to work a lot, if we don't groom the players then our next generation bowling will pull down the entire team to fewer standards from where we are now.

[Bureau]

I would say SKY didn't got more time to bat so at the end he will go big or get caught so its not a big issue.

Axar who is doing great didn't get picked for the SA series that is surprising but It's sad to see that he left out from the WC and now again he performed and left out for SA series.

Indian pacers need to work a lot, if we don't groom the players then our next generation bowling will pull down the entire team to fewer standards from where we are now.

Isn't it possible to make changes before the World Cup begins? I am sure the selection panel would be looking into the performance of the players in this series and the South African series. They might make some changes later on or make the player leave the squad due to injuries. It is not that BCCI has not been doing such things; if you remember, Chetan Sharma accidentally spilled out that information when a secret video of him was leaked.

If some of them are good they might get selected before the cup. It is not that impossible for them not to get selected.

[Bureau]

The final match of the bilateral series will be played today in the evening. India has already won the series and imagine if they win today too, which I do not think they would. I feel today there would be a few changes made to the team on the leadership level. I feel Rituraj Gaikwad might get an opportunity to captain the side and SKY would be on the bench. The team management has already tried experimenting with the bowling and batting lineup. Last time they included Shreyas Iyer and he was not able to capitalize on the opportunity given to him.

[pakhitheboss]

The final match of the bilateral series will be played today in the evening. India has already won the series and imagine if they win today too, which I do not think they would. I feel today there would be a few changes made to the team on the leadership level. I feel Rituraj Gaikwad might get an opportunity to captain the side and SKY would be on the bench. The team management has already tried experimenting with the bowling and batting lineup. Last time they included Shreyas Iyer and he was not able to capitalize on the opportunity given to him.

I never expected India to win yesterday after they gave a target of 161 runs. I thought that Australia would easily chase the target and win the last match in the series. To my suprise they failed big time and it was all due to some impressive bowling and fielding by the Indian team. Next up India's tour of South Africa.

[elevates]

The final match of the bilateral series will be played today in the evening. India has already won the series and imagine if they win today too, which I do not think they would. I feel today there would be a few changes made to the team on the leadership level. I feel Rituraj Gaikwad might get an opportunity to captain the side and SKY would be on the bench. The team management has already tried experimenting with the bowling and batting lineup. Last time they included Shreyas Iyer and he was not able to capitalize on the opportunity given to him.

I never expected India to win yesterday after they gave a target of 161 runs. I thought that Australia would easily chase the target and win the last match in the series. To my suprise they failed big time and it was all due to some impressive bowling and fielding by the Indian team. Next up India's tour of South Africa.

South Africa is a different zone for bowlers and batters. The pitch would be be very different and so would be the condition. I doubt India would have an easy journey in those conditions. Rather it would be very different and difficult for India to win in those conditions.

[libert19]

I never expected India to win yesterday after they gave a target of 161 runs. I thought that Australia would easily chase the target and win the last match in the series. To my suprise they failed big time and it was all due to some impressive bowling and fielding by the Indian team. Next up India's tour of South Africa.

In that match, umpires did two favors which potentially contributed to India's win. In last over, first ball was definitely a wide, and the shot that hit the umpire was at least two runs if not four.

Also, India should have gone for drs for Mukesh Kumar's hat trick ball. It seemed like ball hit the bat in replay.

[pakhitheboss]

The first T20 match between India and South Africa will be played today at Kingsmead in South Africa. The match will start around 7:30 PM IST, three T20 matches will be played between these two teams. The new Indian team under the captaincy of SKY won the bilateral series against Australia and would try to replicate the same performance in South Africa.

The conditions would be very different compared to the subcontinent conditions as pitches are made for seamers and not spinners. In the last series, this Indian team struggled with seam bowling and I feel the seamers would bowl better here. Batting is still a concern as only a few batters were able to bat well in home conditions. I am expecting a tough game today but this would help the Indian team prepare for the T20WC 2024.

[Bureau]

Hey! @Bitcoin Smith can you please update the OP as the Indian team is no longer playing against Australia? Multiple bilateral games would be played against South Africa across all three formats. The OP still displays the schedule for the bilateral series that we had in India against Australia. That does not look good if you want this thread to be active. I was not aware of the match until I saw the post from @pakhitheboss. Since you were the one who started this thread it is your job to update this thread.

The match is going to start sometime now and it would be great if India defeats South Africa today. It won't be that easy as I understand the conditions would be just opposite to what the Indian team has been playing. The new captain for sure would be getting a chance to understand and observe the conditions which will be similar to the upcoming ICC cup.

[pakhitheboss]

I was planning to have a good Sunday as today was mtch day. As everything has been going wrong with the weather for every country, it is going wrong for SA too. The match getting delayed due to the rain is not a good sign.

This why cricket stadium should become indoor or have a rooftop. Open stadium won't be a good idea as frequent disruption due to rain is happening frequently. ICC should force every cricket playing nation to have one ground that has a roof to avoid such untimely disruption due to rain.

[Bureau]

India is playing only a some dozen of T20 matches before the ICC World Cup. Out of which today the game between India and South Africa got abandoned due to rain. I hope we get to play the next two. Not looking good for the Indian team as to win the series they need to win both matches. The same equation is applicable for South Africa and I feel this series of T20 format would end up as a draw.

[pakhitheboss]

The second T20 match between India and South Africa will be played today. The first match got abandoned due to rain and so can be today's match too. There is a chance that it might get interrupted due to rain. After today's game, there will be another one left. The team that wants to win the series needs to win both matches. I think South Africa has a big chance of winning today.

I was looking at Google's win probability and it says India has a 56% chance of winning the game. The betting odds also suggest a similar outcome where India is looking as a favorite to win today. I some how do not think that would be possible as India might have won the last series but they are not playing in India. The conditions are very different in South Africa and it would be tough for the Indian batters to bat on South African pitches.

[Bureau]

I'm watching the match now and discovered that India has lost 3 wickets cheaply. The score still looks good, Surya Kumar has reached his half-century, and Rinku Singh has been crushing but was struggling with spinners. It does look like the spinners are getting a lot from the pitch, Shamsi is getting the ball to turn. If these two guys can bat a couple of more overs with constant boundaries then India will be getting 200 runs on the board.

[elevates]

First 50 by Rinku Singh in an international T29 game. He has been batting quite different, he is known to come and hit boundaries without any skills as expected by a batter. He dies struggle with slow ball and against spinners. Indian team under the coaching of Dravid has a different strategy again. This would be first time that I see these guys bat only to maintain the run rate , which I might be wrong.about. Although there is something different with the approach of Indian batters but the way these guys hit ball in boundaries is more than thier singals or twos. That is how these guys maintain a good strike rate as a T20 batters.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Although there is something different with the approach of Indian batters but the way these guys hit ball in boundaries is more than thier singals or twos. That is how these guys maintain a good strike rate as a T20 batters.

Congrats to Rinku but it went for a losing cause. Talking about low strike rate of spin bowling its still too early and Indian batsmen will eventuall get used to it over the time.

Singles and twos are very important in 20 over or 50 over format because that will disturb the bowlers more if someone is capable of doing it consistently and that is why Virat is standing out from any other batsmen from Indian team.

[pakhitheboss]

Although there is something different with the approach of Indian batters but the way these guys hit ball in boundaries is more than thier singals or twos. That is how these guys maintain a good strike rate as a T20 batters.

Congrats to Rinku but it went for a losing cause. Talking about low strike rate of spin bowling its still too early and Indian batsmen will eventuall get used to it over the time.

Singles and twos are very important in 20 over or 50 over format because that will disturb the bowlers more if someone is capable of doing it consistently and that is why Virat is standing out from any other batsmen from Indian team.

I seriously was missing Rohit Sharma yesterday, if he would have been opening the target would have surpassed 200 runs. Rinku Singh and SKY were the reason that India was able to get to 180, if the rain had not interrupted then this match would have gone in favor of the Indian team. I somehow feel that the Indian bowling attack does not need bowlers like Arshdeep Singh he has not been at his best after the T20WC. That guy gave away 31 runs in his 2 overs which is way above what is expected from a seamer in T20 format.

[libert19]

The way Rinku I'd performing, he's likely to play T20 world cup.

I seriously was missing Rohit Sharma yesterday, if he would have been opening the target would have surpassed 200 runs.

Rohit and other veterans are guaranteed to play in t20 wc, series as current are good chance for young players to prove themselves, so let them have chance.

[elevates]

Out of the new players in this new Indian team I think most of them won't be part of the final squad. Mukesh has been bowling very good in the previous and the ongoing series. I think he might replace Arshdeep. I was expecting good batting from Jaiswal but he seems to be inconsistent constantly. That is not a good sign if a batter is looking to cement his place in the main squad. There already a lot of competition happening between batters to take the 5th position, to add to that competition we now have Rinku Singh. I do feel he should be given a chance to bat up the order, he has shown great improvement in his batting capabilities.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Indian bowling attack does not need bowlers like Arshdeep Singh he has not been at his best after the T20WC. That guy gave away 31 runs in his 2 overs which is way above what is expected from a seamer in T20 format.

Left arm swing bowlers are rare breeds, so I would still back Arshdeep but he needs some kind of guidance about his line and length that is where he is lacking in the recent days, but he did pretty well when defending few runs in the final overs of IPL. And I am also concerned about Gill's consistency on T20I and looking at the record he only made 30+ run three time in the last 15 innings and its not a good sign either so he should not take his spot for granted and if he fails then Ruturaj will swap him in no time for that opening slot because Rutu can give more balance with someone like Hitman at the other end but let's see how the selection committee thinks.

[Bureau]

The last match of the T20 series will be played today and it won't rain as per the weather channel. A rain delay is okay for a cricket fan but a game getting abandoned due to rain is bad and if it gets interrupted then the team batting second always has an upper edge. In the last match, I was listening to the commentators and they did say a target of 170 and above is good to defend for India. Due to DLS, the target was slashed the pitch condition was changed and India lost the match. It is crucial for India to win today if they want the series to leveled.

[libert19]

Out of the new players in this new Indian team I think most of them won't be part of the final squad. Mukesh has been bowling very good in the previous and the ongoing series. I think he might replace Arshdeep. I was expecting good batting from Jaiswal but he seems to be inconsistent constantly. That is not a good sign if a batter is looking to cement his place in the main squad. There already a lot of competition happening between batters to take the 5th position, to add to that competition we now have Rinku Singh. I do feel he should be given a chance to bat up the order, he has shown great improvement in his batting capabilities.

Surya, Rinku are pretty much guaranteed in T20 wc squad, unless injury or something else unfortunate happens.

Mukesh Kumar may make it as well, even in wc, imo, he was better choice than Krishna, but thankfully need never arose to play in playing XI.

[elevates]

Surya, Rinku are pretty much guaranteed in T20 wc squad, unless injury or something else unfortunate happens.

Mukesh Kumar may make it as well, even in wc, imo, he was better choice than Krishna, but thankfully need never arose to play in playing XI.

SKY is confirmed already, Rinku don't know if he will be part of the playing squad. He should be given an opportunity to represent India in the wolrd cup. I do feel K L Rahul will be part of the team after his keeping and good knock in the world cup. I still doubt Kohli as he is a good 50 overs and test player but struggles in T20 format. Bhumrah if he stays fit, Shami and Shiraz would be the pa e attack optional should be Mukesh if anyone gets injured.

snip..

After he recovered from dengue, he has been struggling with his timing. Given some more games he will start playing as he used before he feel I'll. He is the next Kohli in the making and needs some time to settle.

[libert19]

Surya, Rinku are pretty much guaranteed in T20 wc squad, unless injury or something else unfortunate happens.

Mukesh Kumar may make it as well, even in wc, imo, he was better choice than Krishna, but thankfully need never arose to play in playing XI.

I do feel K L Rahul will be part of the team after his keeping and good knock in the world cup.

I'm hearing rumours KL asking management to bat down the order after having good run batting at this position in wc. He did good well there, as we have seen in his inning of making fastest hundred in wc by Indian, but he did struggled there to hit the shots after just coming to the crease. So, it's not really a viable option in T20 as you'll be often required to hit moment you come to the crease.

Let's see, before wc we have ipl, if he changes his batting position there, we'll get to see how he does.

He could have competition from Pant too, since he's back, for both wk and his batting position if he changes to middle order batter, again, much of this will on Pant's performance in ipl too.

[Bureau]

He could have competition from Pant too, since he's back, for both wk and his batting position if he changes to middle order batter, again, much of this will on Pant's performance in ipl too.

Rishab Panth is still in the recovering phase after he got injured due to the accident. Shubham Gill is still struggling after he got infected by dengue. These guys need time to recover, they still portray that they are healthy because of the numeration in fiat from BCCI.

They are young and they know it would be sometime before they can get secured place in the team. They still are insecure as they have a lot of competitors questioning them and this is what I admire BCCI. They have made what no one expected, an eagerness to be part of the playing 11.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Surya, Rinku are pretty much guaranteed in T20 wc squad, unless injury or something else unfortunate happens.

Mukesh Kumar may make it as well, even in wc, imo, he was better choice than Krishna, but thankfully need never arose to play in playing XI.

I do feel K L Rahul will be part of the team after his keeping and good knock in the world cup.

I'm hearing rumours KL asking management to bat down the order after having good run batting at this position in wc. He did good well there, as we have seen in his inning of making fastest hundred in wc by Indian, but he did struggled there to hit the shots after just coming to the crease. So, it's not really a viable option in T20 as you'll be often required to hit moment you come to the crease.

Let's see, before wc we have ipl, if he changes his batting position there, we'll get to see how he does.

He could have competition from Pant too, since he's back, for both wk and his batting position if he changes to middle order batter, again, much of this will on Pant's performance in ipl too.

Pant less likely to make it to the next year WC squad unless he did extraordinary in IPL which is less likely to possible after a long break from injury. KL definitely has a guaranteed spot in the squad because Ishan Kishan and KL are the only wicket keepers we have at the moment and don't foget little dynamite also will be looking to fit in if he gets a chance, so there is going to be lot of headache for the selection committee but it will all boils down in the middle of IPL season.

[elevates]

I'm hearing rumours KL asking management to bat down the order after having good run batting at this position in wc. He did good well there, as we have seen in his inning of making fastest hundred in wc by Indian, but he did struggled there to hit the shots after just coming to the crease. So, it's not really a viable option in T20 as you'll be often required to hit moment you come to the crease.

Let's see, before wc we have ipl, if he changes his batting position there, we'll get to see how he does.

He could have competition from Pant too, since he's back, for both wk and his batting position if he changes to middle order batter, again, much of this will on Pant's performance in ipl too.

He is not asking anything wrong here, he did play wonderful down the order. The problem is that the same position is being asked by other batter, the management needs to choose the right person. The best person at the position for me is Rinku as he has the ability to come on the ground and hit the ball out of the boundary. Pant, I am doubtful that he would be part of the final 11 as he has not played in any international games for some time now. I am not sure whether he will be playing in the IPL as nothing has come out in the news till now.

[Bureau]

Finally India was able to level the T20 series after losing the toss. SKY score of 100 runs helped the Indian team to get a score of 201 runs. Jaiswal contributed 60 runs to the scoreboard with his impressive batting.

The player who did the most damage yesterday was Kuldeep Yadav. He took 5 wickets and three out of the five were clean bowled. Nest destination is the ODI series starting from the 17th of this month.

[libert19]

I'm hearing rumours KL asking management to bat down the order after having good run batting at this position in wc. He did good well there, as we have seen in his inning of making fastest hundred in wc by Indian, but he did struggled there to hit the shots after just coming to the crease. So, it's not really a viable option in T20 as you'll be often required to hit moment you come to the crease.

Let's see, before wc we have ipl, if he changes his batting position there, we'll get to see how he does.

He could have competition from Pant too, since he's back, for both wk and his batting position if he changes to middle order batter, again, much of this will on Pant's performance in ipl too.

KL definitely has a guaranteed spot in the squad because Ishan Kishan and KL are the only wicket keepers we have at the moment and don't foget little dynamite also will be looking to fit in if he gets a chance, so there is going to be lot of headache for the selection committee but it will all boils down in the middle of IPL season.

Yea, Rahul is likely going to be playing anyway due to his experience, but Jitesh Sharma is also a good choice aside from Ishan. Honestly, he only lacks experience otherwise he can be destructive at end overs. He has ability to hit moment he comes to the crease, his hit wicket was unfortunate out in last game, I understand few deliveries were remaining but still.

Much will depend on IPL performances indeed.

Pant, I am doubtful that he would be part of the final 11 as he has not played in any international games for some time now. I am not sure whether he will be playing in the IPL as nothing has come out in the news till now.

It's not confirmed but he's likely to comeback.

[pakhitheboss]

Pant, I am doubtful that he would be part of the final 11 as he has not played in any international games for some time now. I am not sure whether he will be playing in the IPL as nothing has come out in the news till now.

It's not confirmed but he's likely to comeback.

I do not know whether he will be playing or not in the IPL or the T20WC. There is one thing I am sure of after seeing a few wicketkeepers/batters playing in his position that he will face fierce competition to get back his place in the team. The names of those players with whom he has to compete are KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, and this new guy Jitesh Sharma. After the injury it would take some time for him to gain his form and his physical abilities, he got his right leg injured badly if I remember correctly. A keeper/batter needs his leg and if you are a left-hander then you rely a lot on your right leg for footwork.

I highly doubt he would get a chance in the World Cup, he might get back to IPL but that is a gray area for us to discuss unless an official statement comes from the BCCI. Till then we need to stop speculating about him being a part of the team or not. No one is to be blamed for his injury as it was his recklessness that got him in his situation and I did say it in on another thread it would not be easy for him to make a comeback. 

[Bureau]

Mumbai Indians have now appointed Hardik Pandya as the captain of the team for IPL 2024. Why do such unnecessary changes? Rohit Sharma has won the cup 5 times. Replacing him as a captain doesn't make any sense. Did CSK change their captain at all? Dhoni has been the captain from the day CSK was formed.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Mumbai Indians have now appointed Hardik Pandya as the captain of the team for IPL 2024. Why do such unnecessary changes? Rohit Sharma has won the cup 5 times. Replacing him as a captain doesn't make any sense.

Mumbai Indians fans isn't happy with the decision either and they are showing it all over the social media.



Yesterday, it was 13.1M but now 12.8M and keep decreasing, but it will eventually fade away and myself surprised with the decision as well and how can team management replace the most successful captain who brought 5 IPL trophies, at least they should done it when they are on the high note.

But from cricketing point of view it makes sense because they are looking long term captain and Hardik has been the captain for team India in this format, so MI took this into consideration and made this move.

[elevates]

Mumbai Indians have now appointed Hardik Pandya as the captain of the team for IPL 2024. Why do such unnecessary changes? Rohit Sharma has won the cup 5 times. Replacing him as a captain doesn't make any sense.

Mumbai Indians fans isn't happy with the decision either and they are showing it all over the social media.



Yesterday, it was 13.1M but now 12.8M and keep decreasing, but it will eventually fade away and myself surprised with the decision as well and how can team management replace the most successful captain who brought 5 IPL trophies, at least they should done it when they are on the high note.

But from cricketing point of view it makes sense because they are looking long term captain and Hardik has been the captain for team India in this format, so MI took this into consideration and made this move.

Yesterday the decision was made by the MI management and soon after Bhumrah left a cryptic message on his Instagram. Later on today, SKY did the same, the both had shared a broken heart emoji. Whatever long term plan the MI management has, they will still not be able to beat CSK record or CSK unless Dhoni steps down. Next season too, he would be the captain of CSK, this guy doesn't seem to stop.

BTW, both jersey number 10 of Sachin Tendulkar and 7 of MS Dhoni has been retired by the BCCI. A great homage paid by the BCCI to these two legends of Indian cricket.

[pakhitheboss]

Snip..

Unbelievable at first they hired Hardik Pandya back and then they declared him as the captain. What will Rohit Sharma do will be the vice-captain or will he be only an opening batter for MI? I do not think this is the right strategy for the MI team considering the way Rohit captained the Indian team in the recently concluded World Cup and his success rate as a captain in IPL.

BTW, both jersey number 10 of Sachin Tendulkar and 7 of MS Dhoni has been retired by the BCCI. A great homage paid by the BCCI to these two legends of Indian cricket.

That is good news as no one can replace their contribution to Indian cricket and both of them were part of the team that won the 2011 World Cup. I think the Jharkhand Cricket Association should come up with a bronze statue of MSD similar to Sachin's in the Wankhede.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Snip..

Unbelievable at first they hired Hardik Pandya back and then they declared him as the captain. What will Rohit Sharma do will be the vice-captain or will he be only an opening batter for MI? I do not think this is the right strategy for the MI team considering the way Rohit captained the Indian team in the recently concluded World Cup and his success rate as a captain in IPL.

MI expected it to be what happened when MSD gave his captaincy to Virat and played under him by guiding him on the field with his decisions related to play but still both of their style of captaining varies, but people accepted it because of national team, but this is franchise and fans are still unhappy about it and MI's followers numbers keep decreasing.

[pakhitheboss]

MI expected it to be what happened when MSD gave his captaincy to Virat and played under him by guiding him on the field with his decisions related to play but still both of their style of captaining varies, but people accepted it because of national team, but this is franchise and fans are still unhappy about it and MI's followers numbers keep decreasing.

MSD guidance did not help Virat in his captaincy, later he had to give it up and concentrate on his batting. The same happened with Sachin Tendulkar where his batting was affected by the captaincy pressure and Dada got to be the captain. Yes, it was the national team and this is a franchise league where the franchises are dependent on the fans for revenue. We know who owns MI, if MI does well under the captaincy of Pandya then fans will come back otherwise it will become a big blunder for MI. Hardik has been able to perform well as an all-rounder after being the captain of two teams. Still, you cannot ignore what Rohit has done for MI and his contribution to getting so many fans for MI.

[libert19]

Mumbai Indians fans isn't happy with the decision either and they are showing it all over the social media.



Yesterday, it was 13.1M but now 12.8M and keep decreasing, but it will eventually fade away and myself surprised with the decision as well and how can team management replace the most successful captain who brought 5 IPL trophies, at least they should done it when they are on the high note.

But from cricketing point of view it makes sense because they are looking long term captain and Hardik has been the captain for team India in this format, so MI took this into consideration and made this move.

Fans will come back, this is momentary show of disappointment.

Regarding change of captain, I'm hearing Hardik put demand that if they'd make him captain then only he will come back to MI, MI asked Rohit if he'd be willing to play under Hardik, he said yes.

https://crictoday.com/cricket/news/hardik-pandya-agreed-to-return-to-mumbai-indians-after-owners-assured-him-of-change-in-captaincy-report/

Said by 'report' so it may or may not be truth.

[Bureau]

Fans will come back, this is momentary show of disappointment.

Regarding change of captain, I'm hearing Hardik put demand that if they'd make him captain then only he will come back to MI, MI asked Rohit if he'd be willing to play under Hardik, he said yes.

https://crictoday.com/cricket/news/hardik-pandya-agreed-to-return-to-mumbai-indians-after-owners-assured-him-of-change-in-captaincy-report/

Said by 'report' so it may or may not be truth.

This said event happened when India was playing the 50 overs World Cup and Hardik was unfit to play due to his injury. While everyone was praying for him to get well and join the team, he was busy with his agenda. There is nothing to go after the money, fame, and position, what is wrong here is how he did all of it to get what he has achieved. If the MI team agreed to all his demands then they might have asked something from him in exchange.

The bilateral ODI series between India and South Africa will start today under the captaincy of KL Rahul. He has been the captain of the Indian team in the past which did not work out well. If he can win this series then his prospects of becoming the permanent captain for the 50 format will be high.

[pakhitheboss]

The bilateral ODI series between India and South Africa will start today under the captaincy of KL Rahul. He has been the captain of the Indian team in the past which did not work out well. If he can win this series then his prospects of becoming the permanent captain for the 50 format will be high.

What happened today with South Africa? They didn't even reach a respectable score while batting first. I heard the commentators saying that South Africans were unable to asses the condition and took the bad decision of batting first. Can you imagine a home team unable to asses home condition. What a kind of excuse is that?

They should accept it that the Indian bowlers were bowling the best line and length. Arshdeep Singh was the star of today's match. 5 wickets with the best of economy rate, India won the match by losing only 2 wickets in the 17th over.

[libert19]

What happened today with South Africa? They didn't even reach a respectable score while batting first. I heard the commentators saying that South Africans were unable to asses the condition and took the bad decision of batting first. Can you imagine a home team unable to asses home condition. What a kind of excuse is that?

Even if you fail to assess condition, you can't fail like this. This was surprisingly pathetic performance. Aside from that, good knock from Sai Sudarshan, always felt since his ipl days he's good odi player, good at rotating strike, not aggressive.

They should accept it that the Indian bowlers were bowling the best line and length. Arshdeep Singh was the star of today's match. 5 wickets with the best of economy rate, India won the match by losing only 2 wickets in the 17th over.

I don't expect fifers every match, but he should be consistent in his performance.

[pakhitheboss]

Snip..

Sudarshan played really well, as a debutant he got his first 50 in International cricket. He was lucky too as in the early stage of the match he was actually LBW. The umpire said not out as he thought that the ball hit the bat. South African thought the ball might not be hitting the legs stump and did not ask for DRS. Turns out later that the ball was hitting the leg stump.

Yeah, inconsistency has been an issue with Arshdeep Singh. He was bowling very bad in the T20 series, but today was his day. The most consistent bowler at the moment in the Indian team is Kuldeep Yadav. He has taken wickets in almost every game that he has played.

[libert19]

Sudarshan played really well, as a debutant he got his first 50 in International cricket. He was lucky too as in the early stage of the match he was actually LBW. The umpire said not out as he thought that the ball hit the bat. South African thought the ball might not be hitting the legs stump and did not ask for DRS. Turns out later that the ball was hitting the leg stump.

Yea, SA should have taken DRS since they had nothing to lose with such low score anyway. Early wicket might have put pressure on India and might have made game bit interesting, although highly unlikely it would have changed much.

[pakhitheboss]

The second ODI between India and South Africa starts in just a few hours from now. India are one up in the series due to the impressive bowling by Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan. Need to see whether they can repeat the same level of bowling today. Axar Patel will get included to the team as the pitch looks good for spinners. I guess Mukesh Kumar or Avesh Khan might go back to bench. If India wins today they will seal the series, which I doubt 🧐

[Bitcoin Smith]

The second ODI between India and South Africa starts in just a few hours from now. India are one up in the series due to the impressive bowling by Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan.

Indian batting collapsed and bowling is ineffective because the total is too low to push the SA batting under pressure. SA opener Tony de Zorzi went unbeaten 119 and they chased it comfortably with 8 wickets

But all the eyes were on IPL auction than the match, and as expected there is new record for most expensive purchase by KKR for Starc 24.75cr.

Here is the list of sold players at the IPL Auction 2024

Which teams bought the right picks, in your opinion?

Mine, MI, CSK, SRH and KKR.

[libert19]

Some IPL franchises lose already at the auction table, RCB is one of them. What few star players can do for the whole team? Starc expensive af, but KKR team looks good to me, should hopefully qualify for play-offs at least.

CSK, MI, GT squads look op as usual, and one them will wins the finale. Lol.

CSK, MI were good at auction table.

[Bureau]

The second ODI between India and South Africa starts in just a few hours from now. India are one up in the series due to the impressive bowling by Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan.

Indian batting collapsed and bowling is ineffective because the total is too low to push the SA batting under pressure. SA opener Tony de Zorzi went unbeaten 119 and they chased it comfortably with 8 wickets

But all the eyes were on IPL auction than the match, and as expected there is new record for most expensive purchase by KKR for Starc 24.75cr.

Here is the list of sold players at the IPL Auction 2024

Which teams bought the right picks, in your opinion?

Mine, MI, CSK, SRH and KKR.

Indian team batting only lasted because of Sai Sudarshan and KL Rahul otherwise a score of 211 would have been impossible to achieve. Sai Sudarshan again looked great and he got back-to-back 50 in this series. He is trying to get his name cemented in an already competitive batting order in the Indian team. Sanju Samson again failed and will fail because of his attitude as a batter. I don't understand why the selector even gives him an opportunity is it because of franchise pressure or does he have someone in the selection committee?

As for IPL Bhumrah should have gone for the price of Starc, he is far better than the Australian. Just because they won the World Cup does not mean they are good bowler in the T20 format which is dominated by batters. There are three teams that I think are well-balanced and they are CSK, MI, and GT.

[pakhitheboss]

I skipped yesterday's match, knew India would lose and RSA would make a comeback. Watched the highlights now on hotstar. S. Sudarshan batted very well and so did the captain, back to back half century from the youngster. Another cricketer in the making, so many talents India has, still we didn't win the World Cup.

IPL auctions have always been controversial. The franchisee have always been crazy when auctions come up. I still remember Charu Sharma buying players for a franchise at a hefty amount in the first season and all those players were a flop. I don't remember the franchise for which he worked as a manager. If anyone remembers the name then do remind me.

[Bitcoin Smith]

CSK, MI were good at auction table.

KKR and SRH too got what they really wanted and all other teams were clueless and I don't really understand why teams went for the player who were released by them earlier and higher bids than their released price. GT squad packed with batting but their middle order is not going to be same as before, and I don't think they will be deadly as they were.

[libert19]

CSK, MI were good at auction table.

KKR and SRH too got what they really wanted and all other teams were clueless and I don't really understand why teams went for the player who were released by them earlier and higher bids than their released price. GT squad packed with batting but their middle order is not going to be same as before, and I don't think they will be deadly as they were.

I dunno if KKR and SRH did well, they paid insane for Starc and Cummins, one player can't make the team win, no matter how good they may be.

Delhi paid 7.2 crore for uncapped keeper batsman, Kumar Kushagra meanwhile international player like Salt went unsold, what teams were thinking? Why Delhi released him in first place? He played good in last ipl and is having good run right now in international cricket.

Salt was confused no one picking him up, so was I.

GT will definitely feel lack of Pandya in down order, but I think Azmat can fill that role to some extent, also price paid was bargain, imo.

[Bureau]

Rumors are circulating that Mitchell Starc might miss IPL 24 due to his wife's pregnancy. Please do not fall for that news originating from a parody account on X.com. I was also surprised to hear this news as to why KKR will pay so much amount on a player who won't be available for the upcoming season of IPL. Later on, I found out the correct information here.

[pakhitheboss]

The series decider match will be played today. Can KL Rahul and his new team win the series? We need to wait for the game to get over to find out. I don't think any changes will be made to the current team. If the management does then it will be a few batters and a bowler. South Africa looks better as a team and they can win the series without any doubt.

Snip.

That is 100 percent fake news as only those players are auctioned who confirm they would be free during the IPL schedule. Otherwise anyone can manipulate the franchise with such excuses.

[libert19]

The series decider match will be played today. Can KL Rahul and his new team win the series? We need to wait for the game to get over to find out. I don't think any changes will be made to the current team. If the management does then it will be a few batters and a bowler. South Africa looks better as a team and they can win the series without any doubt.

India wins, this win can be attributed to Sanju's hundred otherwise India wouldn't have made 296 score, and possibly would have lost.

Coetzee and Jansen would have added strength to SA, but they were rested to prepare for upcoming test series. Jansen's all rounding ability as we saw in wc and Coetzee always takes wickets.

There were two changes on Indian side: Kuldeep, Ruturaj out and Washington Sundar, Rajat Patidar in respectively. They played their part well, I would say. Little innings from Patidar but confident shots, Sundar took 2 wickets and some runs at end.

[Bureau]

The series decider match will be played today. Can KL Rahul and his new team win the series? We need to wait for the game to get over to find out. I don't think any changes will be made to the current team. If the management does then it will be a few batters and a bowler. South Africa looks better as a team and they can win the series without any doubt.

India wins, this win can be attributed to Sanju's hundred otherwise India wouldn't have made 296 score, and possibly would have lost.

Coetzee and Jansen would have added strength to SA, but they were rested to prepare for upcoming test series. Jansen's all rounding ability as we saw in wc and Coetzee always takes wickets.

There were two changes on Indian side: Kuldeep, Ruturaj out and Washington Sundar, Rajat Patidar in respectively. They played their part well, I would say. Little innings from Patidar but confident shots, Sundar took 2 wickets and some runs at end.

Sometimes some players play and they play with their hearts. Yesterday we saw the same kind of devotion by Sanju Samson and Arshdeep Singh that led India to victory and a win in the ODI series. I won't put Samson in the front seat he did what he was required to do to save himself from getting ignored by the selectors. This century might help him secure some merits in the eyes of Indian selectors. Arshdeep Singh has now regained his form which he had lost after the T20 World Cup. He was seen swinging the ball and bowling the perfect line and length. This could be a good sign for him before the selectors decide the team for next year's World Cup. A lot will depend now on the performance of these two in the IPL.

[Bitcoin Smith]

The series decider match will be played today. Can KL Rahul and his new team win the series? We need to wait for the game to get over to find out. I don't think any changes will be made to the current team. If the management does then it will be a few batters and a bowler. South Africa looks better as a team and they can win the series without any doubt.

India wins, this win can be attributed to Sanju's hundred otherwise India wouldn't have made 296 score, and possibly would have lost.

Coetzee and Jansen would have added strength to SA, but they were rested to prepare for upcoming test series. Jansen's all rounding ability as we saw in wc and Coetzee always takes wickets.

There were two changes on Indian side: Kuldeep, Ruturaj out and Washington Sundar, Rajat Patidar in respectively. They played their part well, I would say. Little innings from Patidar but confident shots, Sundar took 2 wickets and some runs at end.

Sometimes some players play and they play with their hearts. Yesterday we saw the same kind of devotion by Sanju Samson and Arshdeep Singh that led India to victory and a win in the ODI series. I won't put Samson in the front seat he did what he was required to do to save himself from getting ignored by the selectors. This century might help him secure some merits in the eyes of Indian selectors.

Also, the actual reason is he played at his actual spot at No.3 but it is impossible to replace Virat so Sanju Samson has to adapt to play flexible at different positions since the availability of talents getting bigger and bigger so there won't be much of chances will be up to one individual and even if they do decent still it may not be enough in certain situation.

[pakhitheboss]

Sanju Samson played very good yesterday considering the batting and keeping he has been doing in the past. I mean playing one game when you get a century doesn't mean he is better than what he used to be earlier.
.
A small stint of getting a century won't help him as he is now outnumbered by others. In this case most of them in his position and if I think correctly he is eyeing the position of Kholi.

Can he overthrow Kholi and get cemented in that position? You would need much more to overcome the GOAT in ODI & Test cricket. I haven't seen anyone who could do better that Kholi in that position in both the format.

Considering T20 format he is still way behind then those youngsters. He is not just good for T20 as he takes time to come into the sense that he is playing a short format of cricket. I saw today a lot of article got published about his ability as a batter and how much he was suffering from depression. Thankfully, he is out of that mental issue

[Bureau]

snip~~

The amount of time and money he has spent in getting himself into the ODI squad or the T20 squad it was evident that those articles would come out. He got his first official century in an ODI in the last match against South Africa. Ishan Kishan, SKY, and Samson all of the three debuted in 2021, look at the stats of Ishan Kishan and then compare them with Sanju Samson's stats. He debuted long back in 2015 in the T20 format with a ton after that he has been out of touch in both ODI and T20 formats. He has been unable to cement his position in the Indian team because of his performance with the bat. I guess this century would give him some confidence and will help him get himself into the probable list of players for India.

[Bitcoin Smith]

snip~~

The amount of time and money he has spent in getting himself into the ODI squad or the T20 squad it was evident that those articles would come out. He got his first official century in an ODI in the last match against South Africa. Ishan Kishan, SKY, and Samson all of the three debuted in 2021, look at the stats of Ishan Kishan and then compare them with Sanju Samson's stats. He debuted long back in 2015 in the T20 format with a ton after that he has been out of touch in both ODI and T20 formats. He has been unable to cement his position in the Indian team because of his performance with the bat. I guess this century would give him some confidence and will help him get himself into the probable list of players for India.

He only played 16 matches in the 8 years that tells why he don't have stats like other players because some players reached 50 mark stats in less than two years but he is just unlucky to be in that position and he is having batting avg of 55 which is extraordinary though. He is still under 30 if I am not wrong, so if one of the senior players retires, then he may get more chances if he keeps his batting skills sharpen.

[Bureau]

Hardik Pandya unlikely to play in IPL 2024; Suryakumar Yadav out of Afghanistan series with ankle injury

The news is out and it is a bad signal for MI management. He did all his meetings behind closed doors when India was playing the World Cup and the outcome is that he will miss the IPL. He was declared the captain of the MI and I am now surprised to hear that he will miss the IPL. Did he lie to the MI management about his fitness and injury? Or the MI management knew about this issue and still went ahead will all that news in the mainstream media. Rest assured Rohit is back as a captain of the MI which I feel is good for the franchise.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Hardik Pandya unlikely to play in IPL 2024; Suryakumar Yadav out of Afghanistan series with ankle injury

The news is out and it is a bad signal for MI management.

This news is unlikely to be true, because it's reported as news based on social media reports and nothing yet official and every sport pages added ? In their title, so it just created from nowhere. I do see memes on Instagram about this but as I said if Hardik is not fit to play then team management won't announce that he will be set to lead MI in 2024 edition.

[libert19]

Wasted lot of energy surfing Twitter during time when Pandya was rumored to move to MI, no one was sure. When he was retained, every news publication mentioned that he'll stay with GT and not move to MI. In fact, he was retained only to be traded, after a while, Pandya confirmed himself on Twitter, MI handle confirmed that he's come back to MI.

It's same again here, until this injury news is confirmed by Pandya himself or MI says that he is out, believe only then.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Tomorrow we have the test coming up and Rohit and Virat appearance after WC. The fact is India never won test series in SA so that is something surprising even after India progressed a lot in the last two decades. Can this history will be rewritten because here we got a chance to make it happen since its only 2 match series and weaker SA batting lineup than they used to be.

What are your thoughts, guys?

Also, I think we can introduce fantasy players prediction from now on since we know how big the fantasy sports in India right now and It's nothing but gambling.

My fantasy players for first test: Virat, KL, Bumrah, Coetzee, Bavuma (he actually got better stats in test while playing in SA).

[pakhitheboss]

Tomorrow we have the test coming up and Rohit and Virat appearance after WC. The fact is India never won test series in SA so that is something surprising even after India progressed a lot in the last two decades. Can this history will be rewritten because here we got a chance to make it happen since its only 2 match series and weaker SA batting lineup than they used to be.

What are your thoughts, guys?

Also, I think we can introduce fantasy players prediction from now on since we know how big the fantasy sports in India right now and It's nothing but gambling.

My fantasy players for first test: Virat, KL, Bumrah, Coetzee, Bavuma (he actually got better stats in test while playing in SA).

As of now, the Indian batting collapsed like anything, Rohit Sharma scored 5 runs, Shubhman Gill completely out of form scored 2 runs and Ashwin scored 8 runs. Are they serious about this test series or are playing for the sake of it? Shardul Thakur is batting aggressively at the moment, do not know how long he will last. KL Rahul is batting sensibly as he knows how important it is for him to stay on the pitch. The top and the middle order have been completely wiped out, it is the lower order that is for now holding the fort.

[Bureau]

Tomorrow we have the test coming up and Rohit and Virat appearance after WC. The fact is India never won test series in SA so that is something surprising even after India progressed a lot in the last two decades. Can this history will be rewritten because here we got a chance to make it happen since its only 2 match series and weaker SA batting lineup than they used to be.

What are your thoughts, guys?

Also, I think we can introduce fantasy players prediction from now on since we know how big the fantasy sports in India right now and It's nothing but gambling.

My fantasy players for first test: Virat, KL, Bumrah, Coetzee, Bavuma (he actually got better stats in test while playing in SA).

As of now, the Indian batting collapsed like anything, Rohit Sharma scored 5 runs, Shubhman Gill completely out of form scored 2 runs and Ashwin scored 8 runs. Are they serious about this test series or are playing for the sake of it? Shardul Thakur is batting aggressively at the moment, do not know how long he will last. KL Rahul is batting sensibly as he knows how important it is for him to stay on the pitch. The top and the middle order have been completely wiped out, it is the lower order that is for now holding the fort.

KL Rahul is still batting on 70, which is quite impressive actually as all other important players are out cheaply. The problem for India now is that they are out of batters as Shiraj is batting now. They still managed to score more than 200 runs and they probably are targeting 250 or more runs. Which looks unreachable as the last pair is batting currently, Shiraj won't be able to continue for long. Indian bowlers might able to get the same kind of juice from the pitch when they come down to bowl today.

[libert19]

Sounds like good choice so far to play in middle from KL Rahul, odi and tests proved, let's see t20/ipl.Even tho Rahul might keep playing, he has minimal support on other end. Let's hope India makes at least 250.

Gill has been doing so bad lately.

[pakhitheboss]

Sounds like good choice so far to play in middle from KL Rahul, odi and tests proved, let's see t20/ipl.Even tho Rahul might keep playing, he has minimal support on other end. Let's hope India makes at least 250.

Gill has been doing so bad lately.

Yes, he played well considering he was the only batter left in the team to bat. I personally never expected India to get to 245 when on the non-striker end it was Shiraj. I was going through the stats of Shubhman Gill and Shardul Thakur, and to my surprise, they both have played the same number of test matches but Shardul Thankur has more runs than the star batter of the Indian team in test cricket. Considering this why not replace Shubhman Gill's position with Shardul Thakur's 

Indian bowling has started and like yesterday the rain might interrupt the match. The South Africans have already lost a wicket and the Indian bowlers are doing good as of now. Prasidh Krishna again is an expensive of all the Indian bowlers, not sure why he gets selected. The magic of Ashwin has not yet begun but we all know he can take wickets and break partnerships whenever India needs one.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Sounds like good choice so far to play in middle from KL Rahul, odi and tests proved, let's see t20/ipl.Even tho Rahul might keep playing, he has minimal support on other end. Let's hope India makes at least 250.

Gill has been doing so bad lately.

Yes, he played well considering he was the only batter left in the team to bat. I personally never expected India to get to 245 when on the non-striker end it was Shiraj. I was going through the stats of Shubhman Gill and Shardul Thakur, and to my surprise, they both have played the same number of test matches but Shardul Thankur has more runs than the star batter of the Indian team in test cricket. Considering this why not replace Shubhman Gill's position with Shardul Thakur's 

Indian bowling has started and like yesterday the rain might interrupt the match. The South Africans have already lost a wicket and the Indian bowlers are doing good as of now. Prasidh Krishna again is an expensive of all the Indian bowlers, not sure why he gets selected. The magic of Ashwin has not yet begun but we all know he can take wickets and break partnerships whenever India needs one.

There won't be any magic from Ashwin because centurion is known for pace and that is why SA went for all pace attack. But he is brilliant and can contain runs by bowling tight, but today Rohit missed utilizing him when Lord and Prasid kept leaking runs.

Mukesh could have been a good choice, but tall fast bowler might be more useful and this is his debut match so it will take some time to settle, so I wouldn't blame too much on him and the pitch was much better and flatter since the lunch so Elgar run through all over the bowling but somehow we managed to get two wickets in tea, so hopefully the game is still alive and don't lose your hope yet.

[pakhitheboss]

There won't be any magic from Ashwin because centurion is known for pace and that is why SA went for all pace attack. But he is brilliant and can contain runs by bowling tight, but today Rohit missed utilizing him when Lord and Prasid kept leaking runs.

Mukesh could have been a good choice, but tall fast bowler might be more useful and this is his debut match so it will take some time to settle, so I wouldn't blame too much on him and the pitch was much better and flatter since the lunch so Elgar run through all over the bowling but somehow we managed to get two wickets in tea, so hopefully the game is still alive and don't lose your hope yet.

Looks like Elgar might get his double century. He is already at 140 and is quite settle for now, he needs another 60 runs to get to his double century. As expected Bhumrah and Shiraj are the ones who are taking wickets. Why was Shami not called for the test series? He is a good bowler for test format.

Found out that Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen ul Haq have been banned by Afghanistan cricket board from playing in any T20 league as the wanted to opt out from central contract. The situation looked similar to what happened to West Indies cricket few years back

[libert19]

...Mukesh could have been a good choice...

True, I find Mukesh to be better than Prasidh tbh, let's hope he'll be given chance in next game.

Why was Shami not called for the test series? He is a good bowler for test format.

He was selected in squad earlier but apparently ruled out because he wasn't completely fit yet.

Found out that Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen ul Haq have been banned by Afghanistan cricket board from playing in any T20 league as the wanted to opt out from central contract. The situation looked similar to what happened to West Indies cricket few years back

That's new, Naveen ul Haq's absence will be a blow to LSG.

[Bureau]

There won't be any magic from Ashwin because centurion is known for pace and that is why SA went for all pace attack. But he is brilliant and can contain runs by bowling tight, but today Rohit missed utilizing him when Lord and Prasid kept leaking runs.

Mukesh could have been a good choice, but tall fast bowler might be more useful and this is his debut match so it will take some time to settle, so I wouldn't blame too much on him and the pitch was much better and flatter since the lunch so Elgar run through all over the bowling but somehow we managed to get two wickets in tea, so hopefully the game is still alive and don't lose your hope yet.

Looks like Elgar might get his double century. He is already at 140 and is quite settle for now, he needs another 60 runs to get to his double century. As expected Bhumrah and Shiraj are the ones who are taking wickets. Why was Shami not called for the test series? He is a good bowler for test format.

Found out that Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen ul Haq have been banned by Afghanistan cricket board from playing in any T20 league as the wanted to opt out from central contract. The situation looked similar to what happened to West Indies cricket few years back

Shami has been facing fitness issues for quite some time now, as a pace bowler fitness is always a problem. Prasidhi Krishan got the best opportunity but, he is destroying it. Not every bowler gets to play both ODI and test cricket. Shardul Thakur has not been that economical but, his ability to come in the lower order and bat is his USP.

Money from franchise cricket is more than from representing your team internationally. That might be the reason these guys were looking for an NOC for an option out from the central contract. Unfortunately for them Afghanistan cricket board took this matter seriously and got them banned. In the end now the trio would lose out of any money-making opportunity they had earlier.

[Bitcoin Smith]

...Mukesh could have been a good choice...

True, I find Mukesh to be better than Prasidh tbh, let's hope he'll be given chance in next game.

At least Prasidh made a little come back after his initial over and also only gave 10 runs in the 5 over, so he can adapt to the condition but the rotation of the bowler isn't upto the mark and he partnered with Takur so there is no pressure from both ends that is why they went over 4 runs per over post lunch, hope Rohit will utilize Ashwin more to contain runs and keep the batting under control and put the pressure back.

[pakhitheboss]

BOOM BOOM!  Bhumrah got 4 wickets with an economy of 2.59, while other pace bowlers were not that good. 144 runs is the lead that India needs to chase while I writing this reply, that is good considering the kind of batter India has in this team.

This now makes me doubtful about the way Jaiswal got out, as he played a loose shot again to get caught. Rohit is still not out of the shock of defeat in the World Cup as he looks completely out of touch. Mr Gill is now on the pitch and he needs to prove he is better than Thakur 

It is not a good start by the Indian batters in the second innings neither is it the worst start. A partnership between Gill and Kohli is the need of this hour, if they both can get 100 runs then the match will get tilted in India's favor.

[Bureau]

The first test match was lost by the Indian team due to bad batting. Except for Kohli and KL Rahul, all other batters were not able to score runs that they were supposed to do. Rohit Sharma being a captain was a big failure in both innings of the match. In the first inning, he got 5 runs and in the second he got a duck. The same can be said for Jaiswal since he reached double figures in the first inning I won't complain much about him. In this manner, if the Indian team keeps on batting then they will lose the test series.

[libert19]

BOOM BOOM!  Bhumrah got 4 wickets with an economy of 2.59, while other pace bowlers were not that good. 144 runs is the lead that India needs to chase while I writing this reply, that is good considering the kind of batter India has in this team.

I expected same tbh, but oh boy this didn't age well.


Update: Avesh Khan has been added in squad for 2nd test.

Hopefully, we'll see some shuffling in 2nd test. Barring a few, no one performed good.

[Bitcoin Smith]

The first test match was lost by the Indian team due to bad batting. Except for Kohli and KL Rahul, all other batters were not able to score runs that they were supposed to do.

Batting collapsed pathetically but where we actually lost the match is when Indian bowling attack let Jansen to score 84* that took the lead to 163 then Indian batters who came to bat in the second innings knew that this is a losing battle so they didn't try too hard to keep the match alive.

Avesh Khan added to the squad gives a hope that India will change their playing XI and try to at least level the series. But I expect a change in the batting order too, someone to fill the spot of Pujara.

[pakhitheboss]

BOOM BOOM!  Bhumrah got 4 wickets with an economy of 2.59, while other pace bowlers were not that good. 144 runs is the lead that India needs to chase while I writing this reply, that is good considering the kind of batter India has in this team.

I expected same tbh, but oh boy this didn't age well.

Yeah, that statement of mine went out of the contest after seeing how well the Indian batter played yesterday. None of us here might have expected such a disastrous batting from the highly paid batter of the world. I feel they are reserving their strength for the IPL 

Update: Avesh Khan has been added in squad for 2nd test.

Hopefully, we'll see some shuffling in 2nd test. Barring a few, no one performed good.

Just like Shardhul and Prasidh Krishna this guy tends to leak runs and occasionally gets wickets. I am confused why he was even added as he is not a bowler for test format.

Avesh Khan added to the squad gives a hope that India will change their playing XI and try to at least level the series. But I expect a change in the batting order too, someone to fill the spot of Pujara.

Adding a bowler to the existing squad does not give me any hope. India needs to work on their batting and I felt that this team needs someone like Pujara. He should be called, not sure why he was not selected. Is he also injured?

[Bitcoin Smith]

I felt that this team needs someone like Pujara. He should be called, not sure why he was not selected. Is he also injured?

He isn't injured, but he hadn't been selected into any test matches by team management after WTC also he expressed the frustration about not being selected for the test series which points that probably team management is intentionally avoiding him and there are many experts reported that this could be the end of his career.

He is one of the few players all around the world who only play in Test matches and he isn't great in the last couple of years but he always put a break if wicket falls initially and that is what really needed to be the test player, just consume 50 balls and score only 1 run still nobody cares while the evolution of cricket demand fast and stylish players so we winded up for 131 in the last inning.

[Bureau]

I felt that this team needs someone like Pujara. He should be called, not sure why he was not selected. Is he also injured?

He isn't injured, but he hadn't been selected into any test matches by team management after WTC also he expressed the frustration about not being selected for the test series which points that probably team management is intentionally avoiding him and there are many experts reported that this could be the end of his career.

He is one of the few players all around the world who only play in Test matches and he isn't great in the last couple of years but he always put a break if wicket falls initially and that is what really needed to be the test player, just consume 50 balls and score only 1 run still nobody cares while the evolution of cricket demand fast and stylish players so we winded up for 131 in the last inning.

I don't see any reason for not selecting Pujara into the test team. He and Rahane are the only batters who can stand against the pace and unsettled bounce of the South African bowlers. Both are of 35 years of age and are fit to play test cricket. I was reading an article on one of the prominent media house website and found that the selectors are looking for new beginning. If the selectors are trying to find a new player then they have failed miserably.  

[pakhitheboss]

Snip..

Rahane is a failure for me in test cricket in the revet time. After watching what pujara accomplished in his last test match, it is evident the selectors are ignoring him. Let's wait an watch before coming out with a conclusion. The selectors would comeback with a replacement if they come up with a solution.

[Bitcoin Smith]

I don't see any reason for not selecting Pujara into the test team. He and Rahane are the only batters who can stand against the pace and unsettled bounce of the South African bowlers. Both are of 35 years of age and are fit to play test cricket. I was reading an article on one of the prominent media house website and found that the selectors are looking for new beginning. If the selectors are trying to find a new player then they have failed miserably.  

He didn't deliver the performances up to the expectation and Rahane is inconsistent but he is good batsmen technically so he can succeed in SENA countries, well if the team is looking for new beginning then its good but selecting players based on T20 and ODI format isn't the right criteria, they need to alter their criteria and give importance for Ranji performances too and in my opinion Hanuma Vihari is the choice if they are looking for a replacement for Pujara.

[Bureau]

I don't see any reason for not selecting Pujara into the test team. He and Rahane are the only batters who can stand against the pace and unsettled bounce of the South African bowlers. Both are of 35 years of age and are fit to play test cricket. I was reading an article on one of the prominent media house website and found that the selectors are looking for new beginning. If the selectors are trying to find a new player then they have failed miserably.  

He didn't deliver the performances up to the expectation and Rahane is inconsistent but he is good batsmen technically so he can succeed in SENA countries, well if the team is looking for new beginning then its good but selecting players based on T20 and ODI format isn't the right criteria, they need to alter their criteria and give importance for Ranji performances too and in my opinion Hanuma Vihari is the choice if they are looking for a replacement for Pujara.

The selection process in Indian cricket team is now based on IPL. If a player plays well in IPL then he has a good chance of getting into the A team. Look at the players in the current team all are playing in the IPL. They stopped giving preference to players who play well in Ranji trophy long back.

[pakhitheboss]

The second and final test match between South Africa and India has started. South Africa won the toss and chose to bat first, which now looks like a wrong decision again made by them. They have lost 9 wickets and have only 51 runs on the board. A 6 wicket haul by MD Shiraj got them into this situation which is pretty bad considering they won convincingly the first match. Bhumrah took 2 wickets and Mukesh Kumar took 1, this match is going to be super interesting from the Indian point of view.

[libert19]

Woa! SA 55 all-out. I expected low score today because SA lost early wickets, and they do worse whenever that happens, but didn't expect them to get done at 55. India literally bossed SA after losing first test.

Indian inning has started and Jaiswal gone for duck, 4 failed innings back to back. Selectors should recognize the skills of batters in each format and accordingly have them play.

[pakhitheboss]

Jaiswal has been a failure in this test series and thank God Rohit scored a few runs. Now it's is time for Gill to prove himself with Kholi on the other side. The pitch looks very deceiving and uneven. Not that easy to bat and if these two can play the rest of the day then tomorrow it might ease down. For now it looks very bad for batters and I feel it wouldn't be bad tomorrow.

[Bureau]

Jaiswal has been a failure in this test series and thank God Rohit scored a few runs. Now it's is time for Gill to prove himself with Kholi on the other side. The pitch looks very deceiving and uneven. Not that easy to bat and if these two can play the rest of the day then tomorrow it might ease down. For now it looks very bad for batters and I feel it wouldn't be bad tomorrow.

Another wicket has fallen in quick succession. This time it is Iyer, he started well but got caught to the brilliant bowling of Burger. India has already lost 4 wickets and have only 55 runs lead. They would need a convincing lead to win the final test match. I feel a lead of 200 runs would be defendable. Looking.at the present situation it seem distant far from being achievable.

[pakhitheboss]

Another wicket has fallen in quick succession. This time it is Iyer, he started well but got caught to the brilliant bowling of Burger. India has already lost 4 wickets and have only 55 runs lead. They would need a convincing lead to win the final test match. I feel a lead of 200 runs would be defendable. Looking.at the present situation it seem distant far from being achievable.

Not a good sign, better than what the South Africans did earlier in the day. They were all out before the lunch 😁 as it is kind of shocking for me. They are playing in thier home ground and they made a pitch supposedly suitable for them. They won the toss and then choose to bat, which became a nightmare for them. This game is totally screwed by the host as India lost only 4 wickets with 119 runs on the scoreboard.

[Bitcoin Smith]

This game is totally screwed by the host as India lost only 4 wickets with 119 runs on the scoreboard.

India lost 6 wickets without adding single run is another history that is created today.

Still, India is in the favor because they got over 100 as lead and started the second innings too with three quick wickets before the stumps.

More likely the game will end by tomorrow itself, that is kind of sad cause the 5-day test should be the ultimate thriller not the one-sided games that ends in day 2 or 3.

[pokerowned]

This game is totally screwed by the host as India lost only 4 wickets with 119 runs on the scoreboard.

India lost 6 wickets without adding single run is another history that is created today.

Still, India is in the favor because they got over 100 as lead and started the second innings too with three quick wickets before the stumps.

More likely the game will end by tomorrow itself, that is kind of sad cause the 5-day test should be the ultimate thriller not the one-sided games that ends in day 2 or 3.

I was about to bet on South Africa but waited for Rahul to get out .. by the time I could realise team lost all the 6 wickets on the same score 😔

[Bureau]

This game is totally screwed by the host as India lost only 4 wickets with 119 runs on the scoreboard.

India lost 6 wickets without adding single run is another history that is created today.

Still, India is in the favor because they got over 100 as lead and started the second innings too with three quick wickets before the stumps.

More likely the game will end by tomorrow itself, that is kind of sad cause the 5-day test should be the ultimate thriller not the one-sided games that ends in day 2 or 3.

I was about to bet on South Africa but waited for Rahul to get out .. by the time I could realise team lost all the 6 wickets on the same score 😔

The bottom 3 are bowlers, cannot expect them to bat on a pitch where big batters are struggling. I expect some runs from Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bhumrah but both of them fail to score any runs. KL Rahul tried his level best to stay on the pitch, he faced 33 balls but could only score 8 runs. The batting was not good because the pitch had an uneven bounce that suited pace bowling. India started well, Shiraj has not taken any wickets so expecting him to claim some today. I feel that the match will be over on day 2 as there is nothing left on the pitch for batters.

[pakhitheboss]

What a game of test cricket we have noticed today, the game got ended in just two days. I felt this was a big mistake by the South African management to create a pitch that is not friendly for batters. I was expecting the match to continue for 5 days, which did not happen. Good comeback by the Indian team they lost quite badly in the first test match, and they won quite convincingly in the second game. Why was Shiraj not given the due amount of overs today? He could have wrapped up the game before tea. Bhumrah got his own 6 wickets and as usual, this guy was consistent. Mukesh Kumar is a good bowler he needs to be selected more for international games by the selectors.

[Bitcoin Smith]

What a game of test cricket we have noticed today, the game got ended in just two days. I felt this was a big mistake by the South African management to create a pitch that is not friendly for batters. I was expecting the match to continue for 5 days, which did not happen. Good comeback by the Indian team they lost quite badly in the first test match, and they won quite convincingly in the second game. Why was Shiraj not given the due amount of overs today? He could have wrapped up the game before tea. Bhumrah got his own 6 wickets and as usual, this guy was consistent. Mukesh Kumar is a good bowler he needs to be selected more for international games by the selectors.

Pitch played a part, but it's not the entire reason why 23 wickets fell in just one day, its happened because of the disciplined bowling attack and which length to bowl for a test match.

And if you watched it closely, then you can observe that batting approach was not up to the mark for test match they're just concentrating on playing the ball, but the beauty is in leaving and defending the ball right?

Siraj might be prone to get injured after the extended spell he bowled on the day 1, so the team don't really want to take the risk when Bumrah was doing the same in the second innings with really good support by Mukesh.

[libert19]

What a game of test cricket we have noticed today, the game got ended in just two days. I felt this was a big mistake by the South African management to create a pitch that is not friendly for batters. I was expecting the match to continue for 5 days, which did not happen. Good comeback by the Indian team they lost quite badly in the first test match, and they won quite convincingly in the second game. Why was Shiraj not given the due amount of overs today? He could have wrapped up the game before tea. Bhumrah got his own 6 wickets and as usual, this guy was consistent. Mukesh Kumar is a good bowler he needs to be selected more for international games by the selectors.

..And if you watched it closely, then you can observe that batting approach was not up to the mark for test match they're just concentrating on playing the ball, but the beauty is in leaving and defending the ball right?

First test had glimpse of test cricket from SA side but second one was played like odi. If selectors would hire test batter then we would see test cricket. India has lot of players, many aspiring to play for the county, they can hire different ones for each format. Not like BCCI has lose pockets either.

Iyer, Jaiswal should definitely stay away from test cricket.

[pakhitheboss]

I felt T20 clowns infiltrating the test team to play test cricket. None of the Indian players are known as test players. Almost every player in that team is known from the T20 format known as IPL. A few like Kohli and Rohit are known for ODI and T20. Where are the test playing players? The selectors could have got a few players who have played good in the Ranji trophy. If India did not had Bhumrah and Shiraj in the team they would have lost the second test match too.

[Bureau]

I felt T20 clowns infiltrating the test team to play test cricket. None of the Indian players are known as test players. Almost every player in that team is known from the T20 format known as IPL. A few like Kohli and Rohit are known for ODI and T20. Where are the test playing players? The selectors could have got a few players who have played good in the Ranji trophy. If India did not had Bhumrah and Shiraj in the team they would have lost the second test match too.

LOL!😂 You made a mockery of the existing team. Some of them like??? I guess none of the batters are batting well. This is the classic scenario which many Indian legends of 80s and 90s had predicted. We are watching a decline of cricket players who once defeated Australia in Australia. Look how Pakistan is getting destroyed in their current series.

[Bitcoin Smith]

First test had glimpse of test cricket from SA side but second one was played like odi. If selectors would hire test batter then we would see test cricket. India has lot of players, many aspiring to play for the county, they can hire different ones for each format. Not like BCCI has lose pockets either.

Iyer, Jaiswal should definitely stay away from test cricket.

It seems team management try to get rid of Pujara who is the only test player for the international team and trying to replace him with Iyer and Gill? IPL stars can perform in subcontinent pitches but they need players like Pujara to wear and tear the opposition bowlers in SENA countries then the match will go for the day 4 and 5 or else the test matches will end like these.

[Bureau]

India VS Afghanistan 3 match T20 series will start from the 11th of this month. There is a lot of speculation on who will be captaining the team. Rohit Sharma's name is on the top and it is because SKY is injured and Hardik is also not fit. If Rohit Sharma becomes the captain then he will want Virat to be part of the team. Whereas selectors are not happy with the way Virat plays in T20 cricket as he is slow. He is suited for ODI and test cricket as per my understanding. What do you guys think will happen? Will Virat Kohli be part of the T20 team that is captained by Rohit Sharma?

[libert19]

^ Ofc Virat will be part of the team, his name is too huge to be ignored, even if someone else was captaining the team, Virat would have made it. Although, I feel there is probability that he might give up his spot for someone else since stakes aren't that huge here.

From POV of Afghanistan, Rashid Khan's absence will be obvious in their squad, he always takes wickets especially in T20s and can bat well.

[Bitcoin Smith]

India VS Afghanistan 3 match T20 series will start from the 11th of this month. There is a lot of speculation on who will be captaining the team. Rohit Sharma's name is on the top and it is because SKY is injured and Hardik is also not fit. If Rohit Sharma becomes the captain then he will want Virat to be part of the team. Whereas selectors are not happy with the way Virat plays in T20 cricket as he is slow. He is suited for ODI and test cricket as per my understanding. What do you guys think will happen? Will Virat Kohli be part of the T20 team that is captained by Rohit Sharma?

Here is the 16 men squad for 3 T20I.



Virat Kohli is someone who can't be ignored and if you remove him from the squad there won't be any solid player to trust. Even though he is not much of a six hitter, he becomes part of the top 5 run scorers in every IPL season and don't forget he got the Man of the series in WC which shows his current form too so definitely he will be part of t20 WC and I feel Rohit is going to be the captain for team India one last time in this WC.

[Ravichnadra]

Absolutely, let's keep the cricket spirit alive! India's cricket team has had its highs and lows, but the talent and potential are always there. Looking forward, there's plenty to discuss and predict. How do you see the team evolving over the next year?

[pakhitheboss]

India VS Afghanistan 3 match T20 series will start from the 11th of this month. There is a lot of speculation on who will be captaining the team. Rohit Sharma's name is on the top and it is because SKY is injured and Hardik is also not fit. If Rohit Sharma becomes the captain then he will want Virat to be part of the team. Whereas selectors are not happy with the way Virat plays in T20 cricket as he is slow. He is suited for ODI and test cricket as per my understanding. What do you guys think will happen? Will Virat Kohli be part of the T20 team that is captained by Rohit Sharma?

Here is the 16 men squad for 3 T20I.



Virat Kohli is someone who can't be ignored and if you remove him from the squad there won't be any solid player to trust. Even though he is not much of a six hitter, he becomes part of the top 5 run scorers in every IPL season and don't forget he got the Man of the series in WC which shows his current form too so definitely he will be part of t20 WC and I feel Rohit is going to be the captain for team India one last time in this WC.

Agreed Virat is important but he is not made for T20. To date RCB has never won an IPL trophy. He is not a captain product as he was one of the worst captain for India in T20. He is good with ODI and test cricket whereas he lacks the stupid expertise of T20. This format is not good for the technically good batter. This format is for the nonsense batter, who only needs timing and agressive attitude. Virat as a batter is not that agressive as compared to a fielder.

I feel he got another opportunity and he would again fail. The same goes for Rohit as these guys are not that agressive as they were when they were young. They are still holding as they grow old, they both should concentrate on other formats rather than T20.

[libert19]

Virat is important but he is not made for T20. To date RCB has never won an IPL trophy. He is not a captain product as he was one of the worst captain for India in T20. He is good with ODI and test cricket whereas he lacks the stupid expertise of T20. This format is not good for the technically good batter. This format is for the nonsense batter, who only needs timing and agressive attitude. Virat as a batter is not that agressive as compared to a fielder.

I feel he got another opportunity and he would again fail. The same goes for Rohit as these guys are not that agressive as they were when they were young. They are still holding as they grow old, they both should concentrate on other formats rather than T20.

RCB don't have whole squad on same page so they keep losing IPL, you look at current squad they have 4  top tier players (Kohli, FAF, Maxwell, Siraj and now hopefully Green will be a good addition), rest not much. You look at matches whenever RCB won, it'll be obvious that one of them played good.

Rohit- Kohli might not be aggressive as young players, but they have acceptable strike rate for T20, plus whenever these two are on crease, their mere presence helps the team. You remember how Virat got out in odi wc and how much under pressure Rahul came? Don't you see how in last test matches against SA where when Virat got out, and you felt now team is done.

[Bureau]

Rohit- Kohli might not be aggressive as young players, but they have acceptable strike rate for T20, plus whenever these two are on crease, their mere presence helps the team. You remember how Virat got out in odi wc and how much under pressure Rahul came? Don't you see how in last test matches against SA where when Virat got out, and you felt now team is done.

Yes, Virat's presence does matter in Indian cricket, his presence on the ground and aggressive attitude do help. 10 years back Virat was different from what he is now in T20, he was very aggressive but now his stance is different. He will take time to settle the first couple of overs then he would continuously rotate the strike. This is a good strategy if it is a 50-over match and not a 20-over one. In T20 you only get a couple of balls to settle and if you cannot start hitting fours or sixes then you are not considered a T20 batter. RCB has never won an IPL, they will never do it unless Virat goes out of that team. The only reason he is still part of the team is his star value which the franchise knows how to cash. He is the most followed player in the history of Instagram and RCB knows how to use his followers to make money.

[libert19]

Today Shami was awarded Arjuna award for his performance in wc 2023. Video here.

[pakhitheboss]

Today Shami was awarded Arjuna award for his performance in wc 2023. Video here.

He deserves it! He was exceptional in the ODIWC, it is not that easy to take the most number of wickets in the ICC tournament. I pity his wife who made a joke of herself in public and now would regret it. I saw his interview on a Youtube channel shortly after the World Cup ended and he is what he is because of his elder brother.

snip..

Another surprise for me was the inclusion of Jitesh Sharma in the squad. He has been pathetic with the bat in the concluded Australia T20 series, why was he again called? When you have wc like KL Rahul why you should test someone like this guy? If you are unable to bat in home condition how would you bat when you go to play abroad? The only reason he might have been chosen is because the series is against Afghanistan.

[libert19]

Today Shami was awarded Arjuna award for his performance in wc 2023. Video here.

He deserves it! He was exceptional in the ODIWC, it is not that easy to take the most number of wickets in the ICC tournament.

..and that too after having been excluded from first few games. Injury of Pandya became blessing in disguise.

snip..

Another surprise for me was the inclusion of Jitesh Sharma in the squad. He has been pathetic with the bat in the concluded Australia T20 series, why was he again called? When you have wc like KL Rahul why you should test someone like this guy? If you are unable to bat in home condition how would you bat when you go to play abroad? The only reason he might have been chosen is because the series is against Afghanistan.

Playing against Afghanistan is likely reason why new players are getting chances. However, I wouldn't call Jitesh's performance pathetic against Australia, in that series he was given chance in last two matches and whenever he came to the crease he made quick runs for the team, and this is what his position demands, not many runs but valuable ones. In 4th match he made 35(19) and in 5th 24(16).

[pakhitheboss]

Today Shami was awarded Arjuna award for his performance in wc 2023. Video here.

He deserves it! He was exceptional in the ODIWC, it is not that easy to take the most number of wickets in the ICC tournament.

..and that too after having been excluded from first few games. Injury of Pandya became blessing in disguise.

I literally forgot the point that due to Pandya's injury he was included in the team. Another thing that I remember now is that he started with a bang from the first match. 2023 might be his best year in his career as a bowler for India.

Playing against Afghanistan is likely reason why new players are getting chances.

That will be only reaso why selectors gave some of them another chance. Afghanistan is not yet that big as a team that can give India a headache. This is last T20 series that India plays before the T20WC.

[Bureau]

The question that came to my mind was why the selectors added Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson to the team for the upcoming T20 series. Why was Ishan Kishan not selected as he is known for T20 cricket? I did a little bit of digging on Google and found this article on the same topic, Ishan Kishan "Seen Partying In Dubai": Report Explains Reason Behind Wicket-keepers T20I Absence

As per a report in Indian Express, Ishan sought exit from the Test assignment as he was mentally fatigued having constantly been on the bench. Later, he was found partying in Dubai, an act that reportedly didn't go down well with the BCCI selectors and the team management.

This is the reason why he is not part of the team and he can be ignored by the selectors for the T20 Cup. Not a mature step was taken by a professional cricketer and I was not expecting such an integrity and attitude issue by Ishan Kishan. 

[libert19]

^ Don't rely on media, especially when they cite 'report' as source.

Check this press conference [1] from 4:03, Ishan Kishan didn't make himself available for selection. Even if he does make himself available, most of times he tends to sit on bench, so he be like I'd absent myself and party 

Couple other quick notes from press conference: Virat won't be available today due to personal reasons, this personal reason is likely his daughter's birthday and Rohit - Jaiswal will open.


[1] https://youtu.be/_nhtnlkLhjk

[pakhitheboss]

^ Rohit Sharma opening with Jaiswal, this would be interesting. Rohit has not been able to get out of the World Cup loss. He is not batting the way he was during the World Cup. Jaiswal is not reliable as he tends to make mistakes more often after his selection. Family commitment is important this is not an important series, Kohli can be absent for one match. I need to see how good Samson bats today and whether he would be the keeper in this series.

[Bureau]

Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill mixed up, who do you think is to be blamed? I saw that it was Shubhman Gill who was not looking at Rohit Sharma while he was calling for the run. He was busy looking at the fielder which is not what a nonstriker should do. Rohit Sharma as usual didn't stop expressing his feelings while getting out

What changed Shivam Dubey? Before 2021 he was not that kind of a batter. After 2021 when joined CSK he became an aggressive batter in that batting order. It was his 60 that helped India win the first T20 against Afghanistan.

[libert19]

Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill mixed up, who do you think is to be blamed? I saw that it was Shubhman Gill who was not looking at Rohit Sharma while he was calling for the run. He was busy looking at the fielder which is not what a nonstriker should do. Rohit Sharma as usual didn't stop expressing his feelings while getting out

II think it was Rohit's fault, Gill was in Rohit's peripheral vision and should have known that he's not running.

What changed Shivam Dubey? Before 2021 he was not that kind of a batter. After 2021 when joined CSK he became an aggressive batter in that batting order. It was his 60 that helped India win the first T20 against Afghanistan.

Proper influence helps in building yourself. Several unknown players got better after joining teams like MI/CSK.


Rinku is cementing his place in squad, I like that instead of going for big hits, he goes for gaps, uses bowler's pace and gets boundaries. Jaiswal was dropped due to an injury — sore right groin, people are not buying it, whatever may be truth hopefully he'll be available for next games, perfect player to give quick start in T20 games. His IPL records and performance in recent T20 games against Aussies can't be ignored.

[pakhitheboss]

Rinku is cementing his place in squad, I like that instead of going for big hits, he goes for gaps, uses bowler's pace and gets boundaries. Jaiswal was dropped due to an injury — sore right groin, people are not buying it, whatever may be truth hopefully he'll be available for next games, perfect player to give quick start in T20 games. His IPL records and performance in recent T20 games against Aussies can't be ignored.

He is going be an asset for the Indian team and would have a long career. He is smart, cunning and can manipulate his batting style. Shubham Gill is not able to get back to the form he was in prior to ODIWC. I hope he gets more chance to bat and stops partying. Shivam Dubey's ability to hit six even if there is a spinner on the other side tells how much power this guy has and the added advantage is that he can bowl. Replacement of Hardik Pandya in the making it seems. Jaiswal is another batter who is in form and he should be available for the next match.

[Bureau]

The test squad for the first test match against England at home has been announced. Here is the list of names and there is one name that I did not expect to be on the list.


Dhruv Jurel is the third option as a WK for this test series and it will be his maiden debut. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane again getting ignored for the upcoming test series. Indian batting collapsed in both test matches against the South African team and there was a need for a batter who could stay put and provide the defense that was missing in the batting lineup.

[pakhitheboss]

The test squad for the first test match against England at home has been announced. Here is the list of names and there is one name that I did not expect to be on the list.


Dhruv Jurel is the third option as a WK for this test series and it will be his maiden debut. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane again getting ignored for the upcoming test series. Indian batting collapsed in both test matches against the South African team and there was a need for a batter who could stay put and provide the defense that was missing in the batting lineup.

The team looks good to me except for test cricket specialists such as Pujara and Rahane. They are known batters and again the BCCI selection committee has ignored them because they want to re-organize a new team. Now, who in that list can bat like a wall and drain the bowlers until they start bowling lose, none in my opinion. The problem with India is we need a skilled batter only meant for test cricket and not another format. We have Kohli but he is not at his best and the selectors think he would comeback like he did in the ODI format. Good to see that Jurel got a call to debut in international test cricket and I feel he would be played in the first match.

[Bureau]

The second match in the T20 bilateral series between India and Afghanistan would be played today. India has already won the first match in the best of three series. The match is being played in Indore so we won't see much of mist like we saw in Mohali. There no update from the dressing room whether Jaiswal would be part of the playing squad today. I am hoping to see an entertaining game of cricket today.

[pakhitheboss]

The second match in the T20 bilateral series between India and Afghanistan would be played today. India has already won the first match in the best of three series. The match is being played in Indore so we won't see much of mist like we saw in Mohali. There no update from the dressing room whether Jaiswal would be part of the playing squad today. I am hoping to see an entertaining game of cricket today.

Jaiswal or not this bilateral series is an one sided affair, Indian team would win all games that is my prediction. This series is only a way to find the right player for the T20WC. We know who are the probables to be part of the team. The BCCI needs some extra players to fill the gap in case a player gets injured. That is the reason why they have a brand new team and are searching for the replacement using this series.

[Bureau]

The game has started, India won the toss and choose to bowl first. The way the Indian batters chased the target earlier it was evident. Now, the current situation is that Afghanistan has lost their first wicket. They are looking not that good as Indian seamers can be seen dominating the bowling. As expected this would be a clear one sided game as Afghanistan doesn't have that kind of ability to win matches against India.

snip~~

Agreed with you analysis as Afghans don't have the depth like India has for this game.
 

[Bitcoin Smith]

India won the game very comfortably, with 4.2 overs to spare and again Dube proved his all ability and becoming strong contender for the all-rounder spot, and surely he will come into consideration is he can repeat same kind of performance for CSK with his bowling.

This is 10th consecutive Bilateral series win for team India in home and the streak continues since 2019.

Axar the man of the match and he really deserved for his extraordinary consistent performances and he was really unlucky to miss the WC last year.

[libert19]

India won the game very comfortably, with 4.2 overs to spare and again Dube proved his all ability and becoming strong contender for the all-rounder spot, and surely he will come into consideration is he can repeat same kind of performance for CSK with his bowling.

This is 10th consecutive Bilateral series win for team India in home and the streak continues since 2019.

Axar the man of the match and he really deserved for his extraordinary consistent performances and he was really unlucky to miss the WC last year.

I didn't know Dube could bowl, used to watch him in CSK last IPL, but he never bowled there, did he? Anyway, good for him, hopefully he stays consistent in his performance. He is sorta like Yuvraj, don't you think? Can bowl and aggressive with bating.

On bold part, whenever Jadeja is available, other all-rounders are ignored, in significant matches of course. Tho I find that Jadeja has lost touch with his batting abilities lately.

[Bitcoin Smith]

~
I didn't know Dube could bowl, used to watch him in CSK last IPL, but he never bowled there, did he? Anyway, good for him, hopefully he stays consistent in his performance. He is sorta like Yuvraj, don't you think? Can bowl and aggressive with bating.

On bold part, whenever Jadeja is available, other all-rounders are ignored, in significant matches of course. Tho I find that Jadeja has lost touch with his batting abilities lately.

Yes, he can and he didn't bowl single over in 2023 but he did in 2022 and went in vain for CSK. Dube got back his confiedence last year from his batting and he also worked in his bowling later on which we can see evidently with the variations and back of the hand slow ball to take the wicket in yesterday's match as well.

I can see experts says he can bowl better than this if he is given the freedom of soing it and he can nail short balls at 135+ which can be lethal due this his height factor but so far he is going defensive and trying to be economical.

Jadeja got slight edge over Axar which is his fielding if I am not wrong, Dube can be groomed as a backup for Hardik because he seems to be injusry prone and when he is injured the team combination has to be changed completely due to the absense of fast bowling all rounder.

[JSRAW]

I don't think Dube is your typical 4-overs guy in the T-20, at best he can give you only 2 overs and he can surely do a fill up job of 1 over quota per match that's it.

On his batting, i guess he's one of the biggest and cleanest hitters in the world but mostly against spin bowlers. He's a proper spin basher and the best in the business, which could help the team in the middle overs but at the same time, he's not so great against the quality seam. A good seamer will just wide/york him and choke him on his leg side every single time.

[Bureau]

I don't think Dube is your typical 4-overs guy in the T-20, at best he can give you only 2 overs and he can surely do a fill up job of 1 over quota per match that's it.

On his batting, i guess he's one of the biggest and cleanest hitters in the world but mostly against spin bowlers. He's a proper spin basher and the best in the business, which could help the team in the middle overs but at the same time, he's not so great against the quality seam. A good seamer will just wide/york him and choke him on his leg side every single time.

Bowling is not his forte and he is not someone who has to bat up the order. His primary job with CSK was to hit the ball and increase the run rate or decrease the asking run rate. What we are seeing now is not what he will be doing if he plays against the big teams. He and Rinku if they both are selected for the World Cup would be batting in the same order on rotation basis depending on the pitch and the kind of bowlers in the opposite team.

[pakhitheboss]

The third and final T20 match India plays before participating in the T20WC will be played today. I am not expecting any big miracles from the Afghanistan team as I feel they will lose today. This series was to test the new players and so far Shubham Dubey, and Rinku Singh have been good with the bat. I feel today we might see some changes as there are a couple of players who should be given a chance. I feel Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson, and Ravi Bishnoi should be part of the playing squad. Rohit Sharma has not been able to get any runs in this series which is quite concerning. I hope he gets to debut with runs today otherwise his chance of being a captain for the T20WC would become uncertain.

[Bureau]

The third and final T20 match India plays before participating in the T20WC will be played today. I am not expecting any big miracles from the Afghanistan team as I feel they will lose today. This series was to test the new players and so far Shubham Dubey, and Rinku Singh have been good with the bat. I feel today we might see some changes as there are a couple of players who should be given a chance. I feel Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson, and Ravi Bishnoi should be part of the playing squad. Rohit Sharma has not been able to get any runs in this series which is quite concerning. I hope he gets to debut with runs today otherwise his chance of being a captain for the T20WC would become uncertain.

Everything was going bad until Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh came to rescue. With all thier efforts the bowlers started leaking runs as if they did in it for the first time. Avesh Khan, why are the selectors so crazy about this bowler. He concedded more runs than anyone amd he is the reason why India went into super over.

[pakhitheboss]

Everything was going bad until Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh came to rescue. With all thier efforts the bowlers started leaking runs as if they did in it for the first time. Avesh Khan, why are the selectors so crazy about this bowler. He concedded more runs than anyone amd he is the reason why India went into super over.

I missed the match as I was busy with my commitments and I regret it. I checked the highlights and I felt, I should have watched the live telecast yesterday. Looks like the hitman did some extraordinary batting to get India to a total of 212 runs. He was well supported by Rinku Singh and somehow I feel this guy will one day become the captain of the Indian side. He was introduced as a pinch hitter in the T20 format to take on the opposite team at a time when his present team might lose or need to increase the run rate. He has evolved from more than a pinch hitter to a classic batter who can bat like a responsible batter in the lower order.

I won't blame the bowlers completely as the pitch was good for batting. Unfortunately, we lost 4 batters consecutively as they chose bad shots or were tempted to choose those shots. Both Kohli and Samson were out in the same manner if you had noticed it. This is not something you get to do as a bowler if you haven't found their weakness as a bowler in your training session. Afghanistan were just inches away to win the game but Rohit as a captain prevented it with his comeback batting.

[Bitcoin Smith]

I won't blame the bowlers completely as the pitch was good for batting. Unfortunately, we lost 4 batters consecutively as they chose bad shots or were tempted to choose those shots. Both Kohli and Samson were out in the same manner if you had noticed it. This is not something you get to do as a bowler if you haven't found their weakness as a bowler in your training session. Afghanistan were just inches away to win the game but Rohit as a captain prevented it with his comeback batting.

Bowlers leaked more runs they are supposed to but its due to wrong bowling plan in my opinion and it concludes that they still need expereince to be in the WC squad.

Samson should have proved why he need to have a spot but he fails again and again which means he will not be in the consideration for WC squad unless he achieve some extraordinary performances in IPL. That leaves JL and Jitesh being the WK slot for now.

Top order is where more competition for now, and the way things are going I don't see Gill in the opening spot.

AFG had lot of positives from this series and I would say they did beyond their potential in yesteday's match by scoring over 200 runs with not heavy batting order.

[libert19]

Samson should have proved why he need to have a spot but he fails again and again which means he will not be in the consideration for WC squad unless he achieve some extraordinary performances in IPL. That leaves JL and Jitesh being the WK slot for now.

WC will be held in West Indies and USA, even if players do well in IPL on our relatively battling friendly pitches, I don't think IPL performances would be given much due for selection, there tend to be huge difference in player's performances when conditions change so I feel selectors will rather be going for experienced players who have record of doing good all over the world than to one continent.

I am aware of selectors statement that they will look at IPL performances but that will likely for players who are already on their mind, not for new ones as they will also have to groom them before putting them into high-tier tourney such as WC.

AFG had lot of positives from this series and I would say they did beyond their potential in yesteday's match by scoring over 200 runs with not heavy batting order.

Indeed, they are rising up in the competition, their bowling tho, I feel it sucks. Definitely should make it super 8 in t20wc — Gurbaz, Nabi, Gulbadin, Rashid Khan such clean hitters they have got, how can they not? Also, WI and SL aren't doing well lately, this might also give them some edge.

[JSRAW]

Bowlers leaked more runs they are supposed to but its due to wrong bowling plan in my opinion and it concludes that they still need expereince to be in the WC squad.

Samson should have proved why he need to have a spot but he fails again and again which means he will not be in the consideration for WC squad unless he achieve some extraordinary performances in IPL. That leaves JL and Jitesh being the WK slot for now.

Top order is where more competition for now, and the way things are going I don't see Gill in the opening spot.

AFG had lot of positives from this series and I would say they did beyond their potential in yesteday's match by scoring over 200 runs with not heavy batting order.

Competition for the squad is becoming tough for every spot and Rohit-Kohli's comeback in t-20 after the last WC will break many dreams if selectors go with these 2, which seems very likely.

Samson and Gill don't deserve a spot in the WC squad. They might go with Jitesh and Kishan as WK batters, hope they look at Dhruv Jurel as well. Btw who is JL?

WC will be held in West Indies and USA, even if players do well in IPL on our relatively battling friendly pitches,

ICC bringing drop in pitches for the USA leg and it's the white ball so my guess is deck might be an absolute road and I guess India is playing 3 matches there. 

[libert19]

Bowlers leaked more runs they are supposed to but its due to wrong bowling plan in my opinion and it concludes that they still need expereince to be in the WC squad.

Samson should have proved why he need to have a spot but he fails again and again which means he will not be in the consideration for WC squad unless he achieve some extraordinary performances in IPL. That leaves JL and Jitesh being the WK slot for now.

Top order is where more competition for now, and the way things are going I don't see Gill in the opening spot.

AFG had lot of positives from this series and I would say they did beyond their potential in yesteday's match by scoring over 200 runs with not heavy batting order.

Competition for the squad is becoming tough for every spot and Rohit-Kohli's comeback in t-20 after the last WC will break many dreams if selectors go with these 2, which seems very likely.

They might go with Jitesh and Kishan as WK batters, hope they look at Dhruv Jurel as well. Btw who is JL?

Likely a typo, and he meant KL Rahul there. I don't think Ishan Kishan is going to make it, imo it will be Jitesh and KL, and Jitesh as backup. Also will a thing to see how KL will do in middle order batting position in IPL.

Dhruv Jurel has so far did nothing in IPL matches he played, I don't see any chance for him, and don't think they gonna take him in WC squad even if he performs good in upcoming ipl or test against England, provided he gets to play there in first place.

[JSRAW]

~snip~

Likely a typo, and he meant KL Rahul there. I don't think Ishan Kishan is going to make it, imo it will be Jitesh and KL, and Jitesh as backup. Also will a thing to see how KL will do in middle order batting position in IPL.

Dhruv Jurel has so far did nothing in IPL matches he played, I don't see any chance for him, and don't think they gonna take him in WC squad even if he performs good in upcoming ipl or test against England, provided he gets to play there in first place.

Jeez KL is a horrible choice at this moment, do people forget how he performed in the T-20 WC? We shouldn't mix one format's form with other formats. Selectors gave SKY a short run in the ODI WC and Tests due to his t-20 records and look at his performance. I believe KL is not in any scheme of things as far as T-20 is concerned. 

Jurel's SR is above 170 with an average of 21-ish which is considered exceptionally well if you are batting at 7th-8th positions and he did more than enough in his first IPL outings despite being part of Punjab, which IMO is one of the worst franchises for cricketers.

[libert19]

~snip~

Likely a typo, and he meant KL Rahul there. I don't think Ishan Kishan is going to make it, imo it will be Jitesh and KL, and Jitesh as backup. Also will a thing to see how KL will do in middle order batting position in IPL.

Dhruv Jurel has so far did nothing in IPL matches he played, I don't see any chance for him, and don't think they gonna take him in WC squad even if he performs good in upcoming ipl or test against England, provided he gets to play there in first place.

Jeez KL is a horrible choice at this moment, do people forget how he performed in the T-20 WC? We shouldn't mix one format's form with other formats. Selectors gave SKY a short run in the ODI WC and Tests due to his t-20 records and look at his performance. I believe KL is not in any scheme of things as far as T-20 is concerned. 

Ok, Surya's example makes me agree with you. But still I'll reserve my judgement until eof IPL, since KL is going to play in middle order this season, that'll tell us how he performs at this position and in this format.

Jurel's SR is above 170 with an average of 21-ish which is considered exceptionally well if you are batting at 7th-8th positions and he did more than enough in his first IPL outings despite being part of Punjab, which IMO is one of the worst franchises for cricketers.

Fair enough.

[Bitcoin Smith]

~snip~

Likely a typo, and he meant KL Rahul there. I don't think Ishan Kishan is going to make it, imo it will be Jitesh and KL, and Jitesh as backup. Also will a thing to see how KL will do in middle order batting position in IPL.

Dhruv Jurel has so far did nothing in IPL matches he played, I don't see any chance for him, and don't think they gonna take him in WC squad even if he performs good in upcoming ipl or test against England, provided he gets to play there in first place.

Jeez KL is a horrible choice at this moment, do people forget how he performed in the T-20 WC? We shouldn't mix one format's form with other formats. Selectors gave SKY a short run in the ODI WC and Tests due to his t-20 records and look at his performance. I believe KL is not in any scheme of things as far as T-20 is concerned. 

Jurel's SR is above 170 with an average of 21-ish which is considered exceptionally well if you are batting at 7th-8th positions and he did more than enough in his first IPL outings despite being part of Punjab, which IMO is one of the worst franchises for cricketers.

KL isn't very bad to be honest because the way Jitesh approached this series showed he still need experience to make decisions as per the situation but he just tried to hit and thrown his wickets and Jurel, I don't think India will take newbie into their squad even as backup in my opinion. Ishan Kishan can be the one because he has the ability to hit from ball one.

The combination of team heavily depends on the availability of Hardik, we assume that he will be completely fit to play throughout the tournament but what if he got injured in the mid-season which forces the captain to see him as only the 6th bowler option and if they look Hardik as their 5th bowler then it's big gamble.

[libert19]

The combination of team heavily depends on the availability of Hardik, we assume that he will be completely fit to play throughout the tournament but what if he got injured in the mid-season which forces the captain to see him as only the 6th bowler option and if they look Hardik as their 5th bowler then it's big gamble.

Selectors may look at Shivam Dube as a replacement for Hardik Pandya, I do not think he's good bowler as Pandya but he can fill in couple overs, or when other bowlers are getting thrashed and captain wants to change up things a bit.

[Bitcoin Smith]

The combination of team heavily depends on the availability of Hardik, we assume that he will be completely fit to play throughout the tournament but what if he got injured in the mid-season which forces the captain to see him as only the 6th bowler option and if they look Hardik as their 5th bowler then it's big gamble.

Selectors may look at Shivam Dube as a replacement for Hardik Pandya, I do not think he's good bowler as Pandya but he can fill in couple overs, or when other bowlers are getting thrashed and captain wants to change up things a bit.

Dube can Bowl maximum of 2 overs in between over 6 and 14, trying anything different is just a death wish but Hardik is complete bowler who can Bowl full quota overs in the middle or death overs.

Shivam Dube is more like batting all rounder like opposite of Axar/Jaddu.

Still I am really confused about the probable XI for WC and who is going to be the opener/WK/3rd seamer.

[libert19]

The combination of team heavily depends on the availability of Hardik, we assume that he will be completely fit to play throughout the tournament but what if he got injured in the mid-season which forces the captain to see him as only the 6th bowler option and if they look Hardik as their 5th bowler then it's big gamble.

Selectors may look at Shivam Dube as a replacement for Hardik Pandya, I do not think he's good bowler as Pandya but he can fill in couple overs, or when other bowlers are getting thrashed and captain wants to change up things a bit.

Still I am really confused about the probable XI for WC and who is going to be the opener/WK/3rd seamer.

Pretty sure Rohit-Jaiswal will open. WK, I still think selectors will go with Rahul, 3rd no idea in case Pandya will not be there, and Dube is not Pandya's replacement.

This is my probable playing XI (in that order):

Rohit, Jaiswal, Kohli, Surya, KL, Rinku, Pandya, Jadeja, Kuldip, Shami/Siraj, Bumrah.

Looks excellent team to me. Pandya in team gives undeniable batting depth to the batting order.

[Bureau]

Pretty sure Rohit-Jaiswal will open. WK, I still think selectors will go with Rahul, 3rd no idea in case Pandya will not be there, and Dube is not Pandya's replacement.

This is my probable playing XI (in that order):

Rohit, Jaiswal, Kohli, Surya, KL, Rinku, Pandya, Jadeja, Kuldip, Shami/Siraj, Bumrah.

Looks excellent team to me. Pandya in team gives undeniable batting depth to the batting order.

Surya Kumar Yadav has already been ruled out till February 2024 due to his injury. Not sure whether he will be part of the squad for the World Cup. We will only come to know if he is fit to play IPL 2024. Hardik Pandya will not likely be playing the IPL so consider him not playing for the Cup. Now, if Shubham Dubey plays well in the IPL he will be in the team for sure. The same goes for Kohli, KL Rahul, and Jadeja their performance in IPL will be responsible for their selection. The complete selection would be based on the player's performance in IPL as after IPL the World Cup would start.

[JSRAW]

KL isn't very bad to be honest

Yeah, he's not bad but worst. You don't have to believe me, check his last T-20 WC numbers.

2022-23 T-20 WC : 4,9,9,50,51,4. Those 50,51 runs innings came against BAN and ZIM. After that, he was dropped and didn't feature in a single T-20 match for India.

Pretty sure Rohit-Jaiswal will open. WK, I still think selectors will go with Rahul, 3rd no idea in case Pandya will not be there, and Dube is not Pandya's replacement.

This is my probable playing XI (in that order):

Rohit, Jaiswal, Kohli, Surya, KL, Rinku, Pandya, Jadeja, Kuldip, Shami/Siraj, Bumrah.

Looks excellent team to me. Pandya in team gives undeniable batting depth to the batting order.

India can't afford to go with only 5 bowling options, especially when Hardik has a habit of breaking down out of nowhere.

Playing XI is a tough nut to crack this time. Even 15 member squad will give a headache to selectors. Don't forget you need 1 backup opener, 1 seam and 1 spin backup all rounder, 1 WK back and 1 seam backup.

[pakhitheboss]

U-19 World Cup has started and India is playing its first game today against Bangladesh. Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bowl as the initial conditions were suitable for seam bowling. They were able to get 2 wickets in the beginning still, but Indian batters managed to get to a total of 251 runs in their full 50 overs and lost 7 wickets. Bangladesh's batting has started and they haven't lost a single wicket with a score of 13 runs. India is the favorite in this year's World Cup and is the previous World Cup winner. I am not aware of the players participating in this Cup but I am certain that the captain of the Indian team is competent.

[Bureau]

U-19 World Cup has started and India is playing its first game today against Bangladesh. Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bowl as the initial conditions were suitable for seam bowling. They were able to get 2 wickets in the beginning still, but Indian batters managed to get to a total of 251 runs in their full 50 overs and lost 7 wickets. Bangladesh's batting has started and they haven't lost a single wicket with a score of 13 runs. India is the favorite in this year's World Cup and is the previous World Cup winner. I am not aware of the players participating in this Cup but I am certain that the captain of the Indian team is competent.

I thought of creating a post, but I felt none of us would be interested in a U-19 World Cup. I have been following the match and it is now clear that India will win it The asking run rate is above 7 for Bangladesh whereas they have already lost 4 wickets. The pressure on these two players namely Khan and James is so much that they will eventually will lose their wickets. The reason is that they would try to go after the bowlers believing that they are now set to hit boundaries. This is where they would commit a mistake and lose their own wickets. After these two guys, Bangladesh does not have good batters to chase the target.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Pretty sure Rohit-Jaiswal will open. WK, I still think selectors will go with Rahul, 3rd no idea in case Pandya will not be there, and Dube is not Pandya's replacement.

This is my probable playing XI (in that order):

Rohit, Jaiswal, Kohli, Surya, KL, Rinku, Pandya, Jadeja, Kuldip, Shami/Siraj, Bumrah.

Looks excellent team to me. Pandya in team gives undeniable batting depth to the batting order.

India can't afford to go with only 5 bowling options, especially when Hardik has a habit of breaking down out of nowhere.

Playing XI is a tough nut to crack this time. Even 15 member squad will give a headache to selectors. Don't forget you need 1 backup opener, 1 seam and 1 spin backup all rounder, 1 WK back and 1 seam backup.

I still feel KL will be the first choice if he do well in the IPL and in the interview Dravid also mentioned IPL performances will be taken and could be the ultimate criteria to form the team.

My XI will be : Jaiswal, Hitman, Kohli, SKY, KL/Pant,Hardik, Rinku, Jaddu, Kuldeep, Bumrah, Shami.

But as you said if Hardik gone injured then it will be one batsmen short.

[pakhitheboss]

snip..

snip..

snip..

Good to see @JSRAW being active on the local board and it does help us brother. My one point as to which player would be part of the T20WC is to wait for the IPL to complete and not rush to the conclusion now. There would be some new names on the team and there would be some old names, we won't know it now. IPL is where the selectors have started focusing before Ranji and other domestic cricket. Who will get selected is another thing, who will not get selected is something we would need to focus on.

I do not think Rohit or Virat will be part of the squad. You cannot forget their batting in the past T20WC only because they played well in the ODIWC. I do not think KL Rahul is suitable for the T20 format but I cannot omit that he is the captain of one of the franchise teams. I do not know what is the situation with Hardik or Panth and  Sanju Samson what I know is that they have to do their best in the upcoming IPL to be part of the team. The selectors will be only looking at the IPL as it is a 90 days league and it will show the true form of a player.

[JSRAW]

~snip~
I still feel KL will be the first choice if he do well in the IPL and in the interview Dravid also mentioned IPL performances will be taken and could be the ultimate criteria to form the team.

My XI will be : Jaiswal, Hitman, Kohli, SKY, KL/Pant,Hardik, Rinku, Jaddu, Kuldeep, Bumrah, Shami.

But as you said if Hardik gone injured then it will be one batsmen short.

On KL, I can only say that i hope selectors don't have a goldfish memory.

Pant is one of my favorite cricketers and IMO the best WK batter I've ever seen after Gilchrist in the test cricket (Still behind Thala in ODI). I've been following him since U-19 WC (2016) so i have a soft corner for him, he's an asset for Team India in ODI and Test formats but i am afraid to say he's not even in the top 20 Indian players when it comes to T-20 format. He was given more than enough chances (60 odd T-20I) due to his reputation of hitting clean at will but he botched up his T-20 career.

People argue that he clicks almost every time in the IPL but they forget that he bats in the top 4 for Delhi and that's not the case when it comes to the national team. His usual number for the Indian team is middle order or lower middle order at best and he failed there miserably.

Good to see @JSRAW being active on the local board and it does help us brother.

Bhai Irl i am a cricket fanatic as far as Test cricket goes. For T-20 it's all lols and giggles with the mix of betting so i always jump in if I come across any good cricket discussion.

[Bureau]

Upcoming test series update:

Virat Kohli won't be part of the first two test match due to personal reason. Harry Brooke has also pulled out of the tour citing personal reason. He is supposed to to join the team for the last two matches. Who do you think will be replacing Virat Kohli and Harry Brooke?

[pakhitheboss]

Rajat Patidar would has been selected as a replacement of Virat Kohli. It is uncertain whether he will be part of the team that will play tomorrow against England. He made is debut last year when he was part of the ODI team and I would say his performance was okay.

BTW, Shubhman Gill got the Polly Umrigar Award for Best International cricketer for 2022- 2023, he was really good before he got dengue. The same award was given to Virat Kohli in 2014 when he was only 14 year old. He did mentioned on his x.com handle about it as he was present at the award show at that time.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Rajat Patidar would has been selected as a replacement of Virat Kohli. It is uncertain whether he will be part of the team that will play tomorrow against England. He made is debut last year when he was part of the ODI team and I would say his performance was okay.

Until now, no one has been named as replacement for Virat Kohli which means they are going to play with the existing squad members and I feel the current team has the ability to dominate Englishmen even without Virat.

Just now saw the statistics and comparison for the first match which is about to happen in Hyderabad. India is having edge over England in all three departments, and I am expecting an innings defeat if ENG try to go with bazeball in Indian pitch.

Jimmy Anderson is coming back at the age of 41, and exited to see what he will do and also 500 wickets for Ashwin is loading.

[Bureau]

The game started with English winning the toss and choosing to bat first. The replacement for Virat is Shubhman Gill and with his current form, it looks like a bad decision. Ashwin, Axar, and Jadeja are playing which means the pitch will support spin bowling. With Ashwin, India does have depth with batting and of course, we have seen Bhumrah becoming a batter when needed. A good team composition for the first test, and they can defeat the English side with ease.

[pakhitheboss]

England all wiped out on the first day for 246, except Ben Stokes none of the batters played well. He got 70 runs at a stage when England had lost 8 wickets and were struggling to reach 200. I like this all-rounder that England has, he is not only good with the bat down the order but can bowl as well. The Indian start has been good both Jaiswal and Rohit have been after the English bowling, Jaiswal is on 42 and he should reach his half-century. It doesn't look like this Indian side will miss Virat Kohli as they have a good replacement for him. Shubhman Gill has been out of touch but in this test match, he will regain his lost form back. To date, he has the best timing when he places the ball which is why it goes to the boundary in a zip.

[Bitcoin Smith]

England all wiped out on the first day for 246, except Ben Stokes none of the batters played well. He got 70 runs at a stage when England had lost 8 wickets and were struggling to reach 200. I like this all-rounder that England has, he is not only good with the bat down the order but can bowl as well. The Indian start has been good both Jaiswal and Rohit have been after the English bowling, Jaiswal is on 42 and he should reach his half-century. It doesn't look like this Indian side will miss Virat Kohli as they have a good replacement for him. Shubhman Gill has been out of touch but in this test match, he will regain his lost form back. To date, he has the best timing when he places the ball which is why it goes to the boundary in a zip.

Jaiswal look like mini version of Sehwag, starting off every match with a boundary.

At the end of the day India is at 119/1, unfortunately Rohit dismissed by Jack leach. I just wondered why England came with one pace bowling attack which is really surprising and with two inexperienced spinners they can't able to control the flow of run which is a big mistake in my opinion.

As I predicted, we can set the template of this match for inning defeat if players utilize this chance and bat as deep as possible.

[Bureau]

Jaiswal has been doing great with the bat and has been consistent. Rohit got out which I was not expecting so early in the game. Shubhman Gill is on the pitch and he would need to buil a partnership with Jaiswal to get a good lead. I am expecting same agressive approach today from the Indian batters.

[pakhitheboss]

Comparing the first day with the second day it looks like India was doing far better on the first day. They have been able to gain a some what respectable lead on the second day. What England team did on the second on a track they don't know is very impressive. They got their new and experienced spinners to continuously bowl on a pitch that is new for them. The way they were able to get wickets is impressive when I think that Indian batters are very good against spin in their home ground. The game is still on and anyone can clinch it from each other with proper discipline.

[Bureau]

Indian last batters tried their best to get a good lead but eventually the whole team was out after getting 190 runs lead. England started well but lost two important wickets quickly after lunch again. Both Ashwin and Bhumrah were the ones who go 1 wicket each. They are now trailing by only 74 runs and before tea they might be able to get those runs. If England wants to win the match they would need a good lead of more that 250 runs. The Indians have proved that they can bat well and chase any target with ease.

[Bitcoin Smith]

At the end of day 3, England took a lead of 126 and still 4 wickets in their hands.

I was sure that this match won't go beyond day 3 but thanks to Ollie Pope for his unbeaten 148 and still look solid at the crease with their tails who are capable of hanging in the crease longer so even if the manage to bat for the first session they will take a lead over 230 but also the possibility to lose remaining 4 wickets like what happened today.

[Bureau]

At the end of day 3, England took a lead of 126 and still 4 wickets in their hands.

I was sure that this match won't go beyond day 3 but thanks to Ollie Pope for his unbeaten 148 and still look solid at the crease with their tails who are capable of hanging in the crease longer so even if the manage to bat for the first session they will take a lead over 230 but also the possibility to lose remaining 4 wickets like what happened today.

Ollie Pope is now on 166 and he is still going well against the Indian bowlers while nonstrikers are getting out. If he gets support from the other side then he would be able to get his double century. As of now, England has a lead of 162 runs and has lost 7 wickets which is not good for them. A minimum lead of more than 250 runs would be defendable considering the batting depth of India. Bhumrah has taken 3 wickets and he might get a few more in this innings, Ashwin has taken 2 wickets.

[pakhitheboss]

I was sure that this match won't go beyond day 3 but thanks to Ollie Pope for his unbeaten 148 and still look solid at the crease with their tails who are capable of hanging in the crease longer so even if the manage to bat for the first session they will take a lead over 230 but also the possibility to lose remaining 4 wickets like what happened today.

You were a little wrong with your prediction it went on for the fourth day and India lost. What a disastrous batting by the Indian team, they were not able to chase such a low target of 230 runs. These are the players who are known for their batting and they get paid so well by the BCCI and still, they cannot bat on their pitch. I do not know what happened today. Was it a bad track to bat? Was it bad batting? Or was it brilliant bowling by Hartley? Four more games left in this series and Kohli won't be available for the next two.

Shubhman Gill is high on his achievement and is mostly seen partying with friends rather than practicing on the net. It is better that the team management puts him on a bench and allows a new batter to take his place. He needs a break from cricket and if he continues to play in such a manner in the IPL he can forget his selection for the T20WC team.

[Bitcoin Smith]

I was sure that this match won't go beyond day 3 but thanks to Ollie Pope for his unbeaten 148 and still look solid at the crease with their tails who are capable of hanging in the crease longer so even if the manage to bat for the first session they will take a lead over 230 but also the possibility to lose remaining 4 wickets like what happened today.

You were a little wrong with your prediction it went on for the fourth day and India lost. What a disastrous batting by the Indian team, they were not able to chase such a low target of 230 runs. These are the players who are known for their batting and they get paid so well by the BCCI and still, they cannot bat on their pitch. I do not know what happened today. Was it a bad track to bat? Was it bad batting? Or was it brilliant bowling by Hartley? Four more games left in this series and Kohli won't be available for the next two.

Indian batting order collapsed which I agree, but this is not very easy track to bat on, typical subcontinent test pitch on day 4 the scoring will be low, but India went too defensive after Jaiswal and Gill wickets. They should attacked here and there and if the scoreboard were ticking the bowlers will be forced to change their strategy but what happened today exactly what England wanted to happen.

I won't lose my hope and this team can win the remaining 4 matches in this series if they played well but they underestimated England and that is why the batting collapsed in the first place.

About Gill, I completely agree, he had been rewarded enough chances in test matches and he didn't score even one 40+ score in the last 12 innings and surely Patidar should take over that place in Test no.2.

[pakhitheboss]

Indian batting order collapsed which I agree, but this is not very easy track to bat on, typical subcontinent test pitch on day 4 the scoring will be low, but India went too defensive after Jaiswal and Gill wickets. They should attacked here and there and if the scoreboard were ticking the bowlers will be forced to change their strategy but what happened today exactly what England wanted to happen.

Jaiswal has been good and you cannot expect him to deliver every time. Gill has not been good after the Dengue problem. He should be dropped and others should replace him. Ishan Kishan by the way would now struggle to be in the team, for me, he is over with his attitude. The selection committee gave him an opportunity and probably he would not be back in the team for some time. Unless Rohit finds a way to get him to be part of the team.

I won't lose my hope and this team can win the remaining 4 matches in this series if they played well but they underestimated England and that is why the batting collapsed in the first place.

I am not losing hope with this loss but I think India needs someone who can replicate Kohli. Just look at his replacement he got out in the first innings after facing 66 balls if I am correct and today he went for a duck. The harsh truth is that Hitman was confident with this team and now he lost because of his over confidence. He himself is not batting as he is expected to bat.

[libert19]

Indian batting order collapsed which I agree, but this is not very easy track to bat on, typical subcontinent test pitch on day 4 the scoring will be low, but India went too defensive after Jaiswal and Gill wickets. They should attacked here and there and if the scoreboard were ticking the bowlers will be forced to change their strategy but what happened today exactly what England wanted to happen.

Precisely, Look at how Ashwin and Siraj got out, had top-middle batters shown same intent, India would have been a better position, defensive batting just do not suit certain players such as Jaiswal. Look at how Jaiswal got out and how field was set up then, easy to hit boundaries, Stokes would have been forced to change field if batters had played aggressive.

[JSRAW]

^^ Jaiswal playing defensively was a surprise but he should get the benefit of the doubt because he's a young batsman and someone from the management likely Dravid-Rohit told him to play carefully.

But my disappointment is with the Iyer. In the first inning, he threw away his wicket out of boredom, and in 2nd inning looked like a fish out of the water. He's supposed to be India's best batter of spin and the irony is that he is our best bat against spin, even on rank turner but jeez he looked hopeless and pathetic.

Regarding Gill, well he's just out of form and management needs to think about it.

[Bitcoin Smith]

^^ Jaiswal playing defensively was a surprise but he should get the benefit of the doubt because he's a young batsman and someone from the management likely Dravid-Rohit told him to play carefully.

But my disappointment is with the Iyer. In the first inning, he threw away his wicket out of boredom, and in 2nd inning looked like a fish out of the water. He's supposed to be India's best batter of spin and the irony is that he is our best bat against spin, even on rank turner but jeez he looked hopeless and pathetic.

Regarding Gill, well he's just out of form and management needs to think about it.

Why Jaiswal and Hitman can't find boundaries like they did in first inning is because of excellent field placement from Stokes and he even mentioned in the post match presentation and he keen on watching the field placement from Rohit and followed it in the second innings. They challenged openers with long on and off and hit over them for six that's not the case in the first innings.

Iyer playing too defensive was also shocking to me, I thought he is gonna counter-attack the spin bowling, but he went into defensive shell and I am not sure its tactical advice from management or he decided on his own.

Both Iyer and Gill got very less figures in their 10 innings which should be addressed in second game and I expect atleast one change from the above two.

[Bureau]

^^ Jaiswal playing defensively was a surprise but he should get the benefit of the doubt because he's a young batsman and someone from the management likely Dravid-Rohit told him to play carefully.

But my disappointment is with the Iyer. In the first inning, he threw away his wicket out of boredom, and in 2nd inning looked like a fish out of the water. He's supposed to be India's best batter of spin and the irony is that he is our best bat against spin, even on rank turner but jeez he looked hopeless and pathetic.

Regarding Gill, well he's just out of form and management needs to think about it.

Why Jaiswal and Hitman can't find boundaries like they did in first inning is because of excellent field placement from Stokes and he even mentioned in the post match presentation and he keen on watching the field placement from Rohit and followed it in the second innings. They challenged openers with long on and off and hit over them for six that's not the case in the first innings.

Iyer playing too defensive was also shocking to me, I thought he is gonna counter-attack the spin bowling, but he went into defensive shell and I am not sure its tactical advice from management or he decided on his own.

Both Iyer and Gill got very less figures in their 10 innings which should be addressed in second game and I expect atleast one change from the above two.

The complete top order was defensive and there is no denying the fact that Tom Hartley was lucky on that day. I mean everything was going in his favor and every ball was spinning. None of the other bowlers from the English side were as successful as he was on that day. The pitch cannot change so much that it was hard to play every ball that he bowled. Even our spinners were not as successful on that pitch as Bhumrah was. It is over and it is just another game of cricket that we lost.

[pakhitheboss]

Is anyone watching the U-19 World CUP? The Indian team is playing against the New Zealand team today. India are favorite to win as they have been good with the bat and the ball. Musheer Khan and Uday Saharan are on the field and both are very good in the middle order. They both have been the backbone of Indian batting and have scored a couple of hundreds in the tournament. Today's game is a must-watch if you are not doing anything and it is coming live on Hotstar if anyone wants to watch it online.

[Ravichnadra]

Has anyone seen a recent match between ENG vs IND where India got 180+ runs lead yet they lost the test match in Hyderabad?

What do you guys think of that?

[Bureau]

Is anyone watching the U-19 World CUP? The Indian team is playing against the New Zealand team today. India are favorite to win as they have been good with the bat and the ball. Musheer Khan and Uday Saharan are on the field and both are very good in the middle order. They both have been the backbone of Indian batting and have scored a couple of hundreds in the tournament. Today's game is a must-watch if you are not doing anything and it is coming live on Hotstar if anyone wants to watch it online.

I watched the match, it was a one-sided game where India dominated from the beginning. M Khan is a good all-rounder in the making, the way he batted and bowled yesterday he would easily get selected in an IPL team as soon as he reaches 18. Limbani is another bowler to watch out for in the future, the New Zealand batters were baffled by his in-swingers. He got 2 wickets and Pandey is a great spinner who got 4 wickets but missed out on his fifer.

Has anyone seen a recent match between ENG vs IND where India got 180+ runs lead yet they lost the test match in Hyderabad?

What do you guys think of that?

The first test match was a disaster, the next one will start on the 2nd of February and hopefully, India will make a comeback. The problem that India faced in the first test was bad batting and exceptionally good spin bowling by Hartley in the second innings.

[pakhitheboss]

Jaiswal at his best today nearing his 150 while all others losing their wickets before they reach their 40. The scoreboard looks good but the wickets look bad as India has lot 4 important wickets on day 1. A few more hours and the day will finished, a score of 250 to 290 would look better and yes wickets should not fall anymore today. Spinners are ruling on the first day and the wicket is helping them to an extent.

Indian U19 team is also playing today against Nepal U-19 and they are batting first. They to have lost 3 wickets, knowing the Indian team they would easily win the game.

[JSRAW]

I have a bad feeling that this series is going to end a couple of careers or at least they'll be dropped or might discover a niggle/back spasm soon (unofficial definition of drop from the team). lol

[Bitcoin Smith]

I have a bad feeling that this series is going to end a couple of careers or at least they'll be dropped or might discover a niggle/back spasm soon (unofficial definition of drop from the team). lol

Just be straight and say the names bro.

Gill and Iyer are at their verge of their test career, one more inning ahead of them to save their progress and I believe this won't affect the white ball career but definitely a lot of players are in the competition with good domestic records to finds an opportunity and this might be the chance to bring new talents to the red ball format if the existing players fail.

[pakhitheboss]

I have a bad feeling that this series is going to end a couple of careers or at least they'll be dropped or might discover a niggle/back spasm soon (unofficial definition of drop from the team). lol

Just be straight and say the names bro.

Gill and Iyer are at their verge of their test career, one more inning ahead of them to save their progress and I believe this won't affect the white ball career but definitely a lot of players are in the competition with good domestic records to finds an opportunity and this might be the chance to bring new talents to the red ball format if the existing players fail.

I do feel the same Gill and Iyer may be playing their last test and Jaiswal will get onboarded for quite a long time. I was delighted today to see Bhumrah in action, the ball that he bowled to Pope was out of this world. How can someone bowl a ball which is not at all playable to any batter in the world? This is what is called Bazball and it was one of the best yorkers I have seen from Bhumrah. The next one was when Ben Stokes was bowled by him, how the hell was that ball kept so low? Ben Stokes was completely confused with the delivery! Overall 6 wickets today by Bhumrah and a solid 200 runs by Jiaswal helped India to still lead the test on day 2 by 171 runs.

[Bureau]

^ Gill got a lifeline today and after that, he has been batting well, he is already on 85. Iyer again got out cheaply and I do not know why he is not at his best. Bhumrah was doing what he is known for and that is Yorker. He reminds me of a Srilankan bowler named Lasith Malinga, he had weird action but was also known for Yorkers that were unplayable. For now, the match is under the control of Indian batters and the lead is now has crossed 300 runs. If they are able to get a lead of more than 350 runs then India will be in a comfortable position.

[pakhitheboss]

I think there is some kind of disease that has groped in Indian batter from this test series. The disease name is not able to bat, look at the scoreboard in the second innings, Shubhman Gill and Axar Patel are the only two batters who got decent runs. In the first innings, it was Yasahvi Jaiswal who added 209 runs scoreboard for a total of 396 runs. This syndrome was recently detected after the test series started, the worst is the Captain of the Indian side who has now become a controversial star on social media because of his foul language as he is the godfather of every player. He has been poor with his fielding placement and he is not able to control his temper to add to his misery he is also infected with the same disease.

It is time he should say goodbye to cricket and stay at home with his family. One of the biggest failures today was the way the bowlers batted. All three after Ashwin was dismissed for a duck, do not forget that these are the highest-paid players in the world. They get paid by BCCI handsomely and they have IPL and in the end, they have personal endorsement. I hope these clowns win the second test otherwise a lot of them would have to become commentators like Murli Karthik and that stupid old hag Sanjay Manjerekar.

[Bureau]

England has a heap of several runs to win this test series, they lost their first wicket on day 3. They have lost their first wicket and can they even get those runs required to win the second test? I am doubtful as the number of runs is so big they would lose all their wickets. Unless someone like Pope or Crawley can bat till the end which I doubt. This is a match which India should win comfortably without any problem.

[pakhitheboss]

A good comeback by India, thanks to Bhumrah wo took 6 wickets in the first innings and 3 in the second. We saw a sudden burst of unrealistic batting from Jaiswal with a double hundred and then from Gill with a hundred. It was a good game of cricket which showed that Indian team does have potential without any seniors. Out of 5 matches we have already seen 2 and 3 more to go.

India's batting doesn't look so good, Iyer is not working, Bharath is a pain in the wrong zone, Rohit is not working and to an extent only one batter works. Why is there so much discrepancy in the batting considering the amount of runs being scored by batters. There is a need to have consistency that is not to be seen. I feel that it might hurt the Indian team in the next test, if they don't work on it.

[Bureau]

So, who do you think will be part of the playing team in the third test match? I guess Iyer would be dropped. Bharat would be replaced by someone else. Mukesh would be dropped and Shiraj will be in. I think Patidar would be given another chance. What do you think about Rohit's failure to score runs and what are the options left? Can Rahul be asked to captain the team in the next game as wicketkeeper and captain?

[pakhitheboss]

snip..

You just relax and let Rohit and Dravid decide who they will need in the third test 

The first semifinals of the U-19 WC are currently going and it is between India and South Africa. India won the toss and chose to bowl first, I assume the condition suited bowling as before the 10th over they were able to take 2 wickets. Then it got slow paced as South African batters were looking to save their wickets than scoring runs. Ultimately the South Africans managed to get a total of 244 runs after losing 7 wickets. I never expected a low total considering that it is a semifinal match and considering these are teens who want to prove themselves.

The Indian team if they bat well as they have done in the entire tournament would be able to chase the total. I do not think it should be a problem for these kids and there are a few guys in the team who are the future of Indian cricket. I won't be surprised if a few of them are hired by the IPL franchise in the next IPL season which would be great to see them competing with the seniors.

[pakhitheboss]

The second semifinals of the U-19 WC prove why Australians are so good with the ICC tournament. Their U-19 destroyed the Pakistani team by bowling perfect line and length and doing good fielding. They would win the second semifinal comfortably as the target they got from Pakistan was 180 runs. Watched the last 10 overs of the game and I haven't seen such poor batting by Pakistan. The batters were struggling even to take single runs. This bowler Staker took 6 wickets today when his team needed the most. The finals would be played on Sunday and it won't be easy for India to defeat the Australian team.
 

[libert19]

^ I also thought Australia would win comfortably but it was rather nailbiting finish. Regarding final, India looks better compared to Australians, India has been throughout consistent in this tourney and if we talk about history then India also has more trophies in u-19 wcs than Australia, so I'd bet on India to win this one.

[pakhitheboss]

^ I also thought Australia would win comfortably but it was rather nailbiting finish. Regarding final, India looks better compared to Australians, India has been throughout consistent in this tourney and if we talk about history then India also has more trophies in u-19 wcs than Australia, so I'd bet on India to win this one.

They had to chase 180 runs and that made me believe that Australia would be able to get the small target. Unfortunately for Australia Pakistan bowled and fielded well and the match went till the 49th over with 9 wickets gone for Australia. The problem with India is that they tend to choke in the semifinals and finals of the ICC tournament like we saw in the last World Cup. I fear these young lads do not come into the same situation as their seniors did while playing at home and in the finals of the WC.

I know that the Indian U19 is very good and has got a good batting depth. Still, the uncertainties these kids created in the semifinals were actual and thanks to Dhas and the captain of the team they were able to overcome a certain defeat. They have been playing well through all the games and they have always been on the dominating side whereas in the semifinals they were on the receiving end.

Tom Straker is a skilled bowler who can inflict significant damage on the Indian batting line-up. After his impressive performance yesterday, the Indian team is certainly aware of his capabilities. In a crucial match against Pakistan, Straker single-handedly dismantled their batting attack by taking six wickets. What a way to announce the world at a small age that he has to be in the national team to represent his country.

[Bitcoin Smith]

NCA reports Iyer is having back stiffness and might miss the third series and we all know what this stiffness meant to be and finally the team management make some changes that they were reluctant to do.

Another huge miss will be Virat will not be available until 4th test so the real test for Indian middle order is there in this series and I hope KL Rahul will come back and give some strength if he swaps Shreyas spot but interested to see who is going to be the WK batsman because management made it clear KL will not be WK for this series and Bharat didn't do well in the 4 innings to consider him giving chances further.

[Bureau]

NCA reports Iyer is having back stiffness and might miss the third series and we all know what this stiffness meant to be and finally the team management make some changes that they were reluctant to do.

Another huge miss will be Virat will not be available until 4th test so the real test for Indian middle order is there in this series and I hope KL Rahul will come back and give some strength if he swaps Shreyas spot but interested to see who is going to be the WK batsman because management made it clear KL will not be WK for this series and Bharat didn't do well in the 4 innings to consider him giving chances further.

A few news outlets are speculating that Pujara might be called for the rest of the series. He recently scored a century in the ongoing Ranji trophy and is in good nick to be part of the team. Jadeja won't be playing the rest of the matches anymore due to his injury the same goes for Iyer. Kohli has withdrawn from the remaining test as he has not confirmed it to the selection committee and the team management. I do not think Bharath would be replaced he will continue to be part of the team in the third test although he has been very bad with wicketkeeping and batting.

[libert19]

Another huge miss will be Virat will not be available until 4th test so the real test for Indian middle order is there in this series and I hope KL Rahul will come back and give some strength if he swaps Shreyas spot but interested to see who is going to be the WK batsman because management made it clear KL will not be WK for this series and Bharat didn't do well in the 4 innings to consider him giving chances further.

KS Bharat didn't do much in second test that there could be harm in his replacement, so Dhruv Jurel can be surely given a chance, he'll certainly do equivalent to Bharat if not better.

For Jadeja, Washington can be added, and Sarfraz for middle order strength.

[pakhitheboss]

Pathum Nissanka joins the elites with the innings of a lifetime. He creates history y becoming the only Srilankan batter to achieve the double century feet.



What suprised me the most is that out of the top 10 players, four are Indian and in the top we have Rohit. Those were the days when Rohit could single handedly defeat the opposition team. Good to see a Srilankan on that list after so many years as they were once, one of the finest cricket team 10 years back.

KS Bharat didn't do much in second test that there could be harm in his replacement, so Dhruv Jurel can be surely given a chance, he'll certainly do equivalent to Bharat if not better.

For Jadeja, Washington can be added, and Sarfraz for middle order strength.

I also feel Jurel should be given a chance as Bharat should be dropped because of his performance in test cricket. When India has an option of another wicket keeper then why not use it.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Another huge miss will be Virat will not be available until 4th test so the real test for Indian middle order is there in this series and I hope KL Rahul will come back and give some strength if he swaps Shreyas spot but interested to see who is going to be the WK batsman because management made it clear KL will not be WK for this series and Bharat didn't do well in the 4 innings to consider him giving chances further.

KS Bharat didn't do much in second test that there could be harm in his replacement, so Dhruv Jurel can be surely given a chance, he'll certainly do equivalent to Bharat if not better.

For Jadeja, Washington can be added, and Sarfraz for middle order strength.

Also, management mentioned that Ishan Kishan can be called if he resumes playing cricket and I feel he is the best WK who resembles Pant's batting style, and he can be a dangerous middle order batsmen too which he showed in the recent T20 series but the mental break-down is okay or not which is still a big question.

Dhruv Jurel should be given chance if Management is not calling their prime players for that position or else it is just unfair to select him and just drop for no reason.

[Bureau]

The final match of the U19 World Cup 2024 will be played today. Both teams have played extremely well in the entire tournament. But, the semifinal between Australia and Pakistan showed the weak batting of Australia. They were struggling to get 180 runs on the scoreboard to win the semifinal game. India has been quite dominant in the entire tournament and has a strong batting depth. As per the bookies India is the favourite to win, which I do belief. Still it is the finals and it will be a game of pressure and skills.

[pakhitheboss]

^ The target for India is 254 runs, Australia was not looking good in the middle over. Ollie Peake came and increased the run rate to get them to a decent total. I think that this is a good target and it would take some struggle by the Indians to chase the target. If India's openers and middle order do not fail like they did in the semifinals then it would be easy for India to defeat Australia. The bowler who can get wickets in the first power play is Straker as he was impressive against the Pakistani team. If India-U19 wins today then it would be the sixth time that they will win the U19 WC which is will be the maximum number of times by any country.

[Bureau]

The current situation of the Indian-U19 team is looking similar to what the men's team experienced earlier. India has already lost 6 wickets in the 30th over with a score of 115 runs. It is not looking good as the asking run rate is going up, not a pleasant site to watch. Never expected to see a repeat performance of the previous World Cup.

[pakhitheboss]

The current situation of the Indian-U19 team is looking similar to what the men's team experienced earlier. India has already lost 6 wickets in the 30th over with a score of 115 runs. It is not looking good as the asking run rate is going up, not a pleasant site to watch. Never expected to see a repeat performance of the previous World Cup.

I felt I saw the repeat telecast of the Mens ODIWC 2023 finals again today. The only difference was that the Australian-U19 team did not lose any game in the tournament whereas the men's team did lose a few games in the early game. The problem of getting choked in an important ICC tournament has extended to the U19 team too. Again the Indian batting completely collapsed and none of the batters were able to get the team back. Again another World Cup has gone off the hands of the Indian team because of bad batting.

[libert19]

Playing defensive plus losing wickets is recipe for disaster. That's what happened in men's wc and yesterday too, I know I praised Adarsh Singh for playing defensive in gambling thread, but eventually it brought pressure unto himself and others, run rate was climbing and other batters were forced too hit the ball and in doing so, they lost wickets. Look at how Abishek Murugan played, he played close to 100 SR and helped India make third 50 fastest, had early batters showed similar aggressiveness, India would have likely won.

Upon losing wicket, going into shell is quite frequent phenomenon I have observed with Indian batters, specially in high stakes games and they need to sort that out.

Also, I feel had India batted first, they would have done better in this match.

[Bureau]

^ Not all batters can play defensive, they need to play thier natural game. When Virendra Sehwag started playing defensive his career got over. Rohit trying to play defensive these days and he is not able to get runs. The opening to middle order of Indian U19 team is not made of defensive batters. They generally bat according to the requirements of the game. What they did on the final day was getting choked in a similar way like the men's team did to.

[pakhitheboss]

2023 World Cup = True
2024 U19 World Cup = True
2024 T20 World Cup = Loading..

 

[Bureau]

The third test between India and England has begun with India winning the toss and elected to bat. 3 wickets have gone before the lunch and the situation is not looking good. Rohit is still batting with Jadeja and both are trying to hold on to thier wickets. The bowling of the English team is looking good and it looks like they might get a couple of more wickets before lunch.

[pakhitheboss]

Amazing debut by Sarfaraz Khan got his fist 50 in just 48 balls. Rohit playing a captains knock today got his century and most probably Jadeja will get his century today. Shubhman Gill played his natural game today as he got out for duck. Sarfaraz playing in a similar fashion as how Panth used to bat in test cricket. He is constantly hitting the ball out of the boundary, it looks as if this is his natural game. Good comeback by India after losing early wicket today, they have only lost 4 wickets and have 306 runs on the scoreboard. The way Khan is batting I guess they will reach 350 by the end of day 1.

[Bureau]

^ Unfortunately he got run out after scoring his maiden 50 on debut because of Ravindra Jadeja's call. His younger brother is also a cricketer and recently he was a member of the U19 World Cup squad. His name is M Khan and he made two centuries in the tournament and also took wickets as a spin bowler. The first innings is over for him and in the second innings if he plays in the same manner then he will be sealing his position in the test team. Ultimately it would help him to secure his position in the ODI team also.

[pakhitheboss]

Getting 2 wickets on a track that is good for batting before the end of day 2 is impressive. I was not expecting early wickets on this track as Ben Duckett is looking impossible to stop. He has already got his century and now he is planning for another one it seems. Bhumrah has not been able to get any wickets for now but he will as he always does. India batted well to get 445 runs in the end Jurel was good with the bat and he has been good behind the wickets too. I guess Bharat might be said goodbye if this debutant performs better than him. So far he is doing good and better than Bharat as per my understanding of cricket.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Getting 2 wickets on a track that is good for batting before the end of day 2 is impressive. I was not expecting early wickets on this track as Ben Duckett is looking impossible to stop. He has already got his century and now he is planning for another one it seems. Bhumrah has not been able to get any wickets for now but he will as he always does. India batted well to get 445 runs in the end Jurel was good with the bat and he has been good behind the wickets too. I guess Bharat might be said goodbye if this debutant performs better than him. So far he is doing good and better than Bharat as per my understanding of cricket.

2 wickets according to the game is not enough but considering the batting track it's okaish, but already they got over 200 with 8 wickets in hand the score from India looks too small and the impressive things about ENG is they are scoring at 6 RPO which disturbs the bowling strategies so Rohit and bowling unit has to come up with new strategies to tackle or India might be given huge trail if they manage to bat for complete 3 sessions tomorrow.

Bumrah will surely make an impact if ball starts to reverse.

[pakhitheboss]

^ 126 runs lead by India without Ashwin is just bowling at its best on a batting pitch. Jaiswal got his second hundred in this test series and most probably would replace Gill as an opener with Rohit. Gill is now insecure as the position he is batting is meant for Kohli. Till he comes back Gill can enjoy that spot after that he might struggle to find a spot in the team. He might struggle to be part of the T20WC team too, I feel. The third test match is now being dominated by the Indian team. I am confident they would easily surpass 445 runs this time.

[Bitcoin Smith]

^ 126 runs lead by India without Ashwin is just bowling at its best on a batting pitch. Jaiswal got his second hundred in this test series and most probably would replace Gill as an opener with Rohit. Gill is now insecure as the position he is batting is meant for Kohli. Till he comes back Gill can enjoy that spot after that he might struggle to find a spot in the team. He might struggle to be part of the T20WC team too, I feel. The third test match is now being dominated by the Indian team. I am confident they would easily surpass 445 runs this time.

Don't let white ball cricket confuse you, Kohli always comes to bat at no.4 in the test format and no.3 was Pujara but going forward Gill was assigned and so far he is inconsistent but last match century and again at 65 looks like team India will be happy to continue playing him further in this series.

About Indian bowling, yes they did pretty amazing from the stage where ENG finished day 2 and come up with better strategy than waiting for things to happen. Good to see Siraj utilised properly in this match but in the first test he hardly bowled so it reduced the workload of Bumrah.

Now India has to bat for another 60 overs then Target will be over 500 even if they score at very slow run rate.

[Bureau]

Don't let white ball cricket confuse you, Kohli always comes to bat at no.4 in the test format and no.3 was Pujara but going forward Gill was assigned and so far he is inconsistent but last match century and again at 65 looks like team India will be happy to continue playing him further in this series.

About Indian bowling, yes they did pretty amazing from the stage where ENG finished day 2 and come up with better strategy than waiting for things to happen. Good to see Siraj utilised properly in this match but in the first test he hardly bowled so it reduced the workload of Bumrah.

Now India has to bat for another 60 overs then Target will be over 500 even if they score at very slow run rate.

Indian bowling was quite good without Ashwin they still managed to get the English team out and have a good lead. Gill has not been inconsistent he is again going to get his century for the second time in this test series. He is taking time to get set and he has been playing very defensively I agree as he is not that kind of a batter. I am enjoying how Kuldeep has been playing today and with the way he is going he might get his half-century. After him, we have Sarfaraz Khan and he did get his half-century after his debut in the second innings he would be eyeing his century. The concern is Patidar he was brought in as a replacement of Iyer and he is batting far worse than Iyer.

[LucyFurr]

^ Another run out, this time Gill got out when he was on 91 and we can't blame Kuldeep either cause Gill dived too early so that he couldn't get into crease.

Patidar is a replacement for Kohli so when Kohli walks in, he will be out of XI and Sarfraz is the one brought in the place of Iyer where he played brilliant in the first innings.

Another good news is ASH will be joined in Day 4 of 3rd test so no issues either and India will go for kill soon and let the ENG to bat.

[pakhitheboss]

This might be one of the worst batting by England in this test series. 7 wickets have gone and I don't think it is now possible for them to get that big total by India. They won't be able to draw this test match as there is another day left.

Jaiswal getting his second double century was epic. This guy is rocking the cricket world with his batting in all three formats of cricket. Khan did it again go his half century once more in the third test.

Edit: 9 wickets gone the third test match will end on day 4.

[Bitcoin Smith]

This might be one of the worst batting by England in this test series. 7 wickets have gone and I don't think it is now possible for them to get that big total by India. They won't be able to draw this test match as there is another day left.

Jaiswal getting his second double century was epic. This guy is rocking the cricket world with his batting in all three formats of cricket. Khan did it again go his half century once more in the third test.

Edit: 9 wickets gone the third test match will end on day 4.

Jaiswal now cement a permanent spot in the opening and probably his story is one of the inspiring for the upcoming generation because few years back he was selling paani poori in road side shop now he is one of the star player and he is young so definitely he is going to create lot more history especially in the test format because his attacking approach makes the bowlers go defensive. But his SENA performance will show his real talent.

So India now lead the series 2-1 and I expect 4-1 if players starts playing with similar confidence.

[Bureau]

Jaiswal is oozing with confidence after yesterday. 12 sixes in a innings with three back back sixes in Anderson's over was amazing. Shubhman Gill did played well but got run out without getting his century. I enjoyed most when I saw Sarfaraz celebreating Jaiswal's double century before that they were fighting for runs. This inexperience batting line up made us forget about the players who are not playing in the test. Even if Ashwin had not joined our bowlers would have taken the wickets and made India win.

[pakhitheboss]

Jasprit Bhumrah might be not playing in the fourth test match as he has already bowled more than 80 overs and need a rest. The probable replacement for him would be either Mukesh Kumar or Arshdeep Singh. Mukesh Kumar was give a chance earlier in the series but he failed to impress. Arshdeep Singh is likely to be given an opportunity in the fourth test match. KL Rahul will be joining the team in the fourth test so most probably Patidar would be rested. He also failed to impress with his bat in two test matches. I don't think he would get another call from the selectors after his poor performance with the bat in this test series.

[Bureau]

Jasprit Bhumrah might be not playing in the fourth test match as he has already bowled more than 80 overs and need a rest. The probable replacement for him would be either Mukesh Kumar or Arshdeep Singh. Mukesh Kumar was give a chance earlier in the series but he failed to impress. Arshdeep Singh is likely to be given an opportunity in the fourth test match. KL Rahul will be joining the team in the fourth test so most probably Patidar would be rested. He also failed to impress with his bat in two test matches. I don't think he would get another call from the selectors after his poor performance with the bat in this test series.

There goes our balling attack for the fourt test. Shiraj is a good bowler but has been inconsistent in this series. Arshdeep and Mukesh are not meant for test cricket. They are quite effective in T20 games or ODI to an extent. India will solely be dependent on the spinners to churn wickets in the next match.

[libert19]

Jasprit Bhumrah might be not playing in the fourth test match as he has already bowled more than 80 overs and need a rest. The probable replacement for him would be either Mukesh Kumar or Arshdeep Singh. Mukesh Kumar was give a chance earlier in the series but he failed to impress. Arshdeep Singh is likely to be given an opportunity in the fourth test match. KL Rahul will be joining the team in the fourth test so most probably Patidar would be rested. He also failed to impress with his bat in two test matches. I don't think he would get another call from the selectors after his poor performance with the bat in this test series.

Arshdeep isn't even in squad, I assume you are mistaking Akash deep for Arshdeep. Patidar has been fail so far, and Rahul is still not available so Devdutt Paddikal may be given spot.

[Bureau]

Jasprit Bhumrah might be not playing in the fourth test match as he has already bowled more than 80 overs and need a rest. The probable replacement for him would be either Mukesh Kumar or Arshdeep Singh. Mukesh Kumar was give a chance earlier in the series but he failed to impress. Arshdeep Singh is likely to be given an opportunity in the fourth test match. KL Rahul will be joining the team in the fourth test so most probably Patidar would be rested. He also failed to impress with his bat in two test matches. I don't think he would get another call from the selectors after his poor performance with the bat in this test series.

Arshdeep isn't even in squad, I assume you are mistaking Akash deep for Arshdeep. Patidar has been fail so far, and Rahul is still not available so Devdutt Paddikal may be given spot.

Yes, you are right it should be Akash deep and not Arshdeep. Both names end with deep so he must have got it mixed up. I feel Washington Sundar should be given a chance as he can bowl and bat. The problem is that Ashwin and Sundar cannot be in the same team as both are off spin bowlers. I pitty that guy as he has been on the bench for so many times.

[pakhitheboss]

If KL Rahul is still not fit and not playing the fourth test then I think the team management should continue with Patidar. He has played only two matches in this series and his batting cannot be evaluated by a few innings. Bharat was allowed to be part of the Indian team for 8 or 10 games considering he was not good with the bat and not fit for wk. I think he should be allowed to play for till the series ends and then the selectors can take a decision about his future.

[Bitcoin Smith]

If KL Rahul is still not fit and not playing the fourth test then I think the team management should continue with Patidar. He has played only two matches in this series and his batting cannot be evaluated by a few innings. Bharat was allowed to be part of the Indian team for 8 or 10 games considering he was not good with the bat and not fit for wk. I think he should be allowed to play for till the series ends and then the selectors can take a decision about his future.

As far as I can see KL will likely to comeback for the fourth test which even told by the commentators via social media like YouTube. But if he is not fit then Padikal will likely to replace in that spot because already visible that Patidar is not keen on grabbing very rare opportunity to play in that spot.

Edit: My bad, I only saw the news now at cricbuzz he is ruled out of 4th test and possibly 5th as well.

[Bureau]

Edit: My bad, I only saw the news now at cricbuzz he is ruled out of 4th test and possibly 5th as well.

If, I remember correctly even Rohit Sharma had confirmed that KL Rahul would be available for the fourth test. Later on, the news was shared that his injury was not looking good and that he needed to take rest. I also feel it is a preventive measure taken by the team management and BCCI as he is the captain of one of the franchise teams in the IPL. In all cases, if he was available then Patidar would have been dropped and he would have been batting in his position. Whether he will be dropped and replaced by anyone else we will only know tomorrow before the 4th test starts.

[pakhitheboss]

The fourth test started with England winning the toss and choosing to bat first. Akash Deep debuted in the fourth test and took 3 wickets early in the match. Amazing debut by him claiming 3 is not expected from someone bowling for the first time in international test cricket.

Joe Root after missing out on runs got his first century in this series. This guy can easily go for a double-century if he keeps on batting the way he has been on the first day. Rajat Patidar has been retained and it was expected that he should be given more opportunities to prove himself.

As of now England has lost 7 wickets and has got 282 runs. If Root keeps batting then they could easily get 400 runs on the scoreboard.

[Bitcoin Smith]

The fourth test started with England winning the toss and choosing to bat first. Akash Deep debuted in the fourth test and took 3 wickets early in the match. Amazing debut by him claiming 3 is not expected from someone bowling for the first time in international test cricket.

Joe Root after missing out on runs got his first century in this series. This guy can easily go for a double-century if he keeps on batting the way he has been on the first day. Rajat Patidar has been retained and it was expected that he should be given more opportunities to prove himself.

As of now England has lost 7 wickets and has got 282 runs. If Root keeps batting then they could easily get 400 runs on the scoreboard.

Akash deep was unlucky in the early to get a wicket early and it becomes a noball but he just kept things clear and applied everything to make an impact, really excellent performance from another debutant. While Indian spin unit is not giving threaten and they literally let a golden opportunity to wrap them cause they got 5 wickets in the first session itself but they let the root and foakes to drag post lunch session which gave back the lost confidence for ENG.

[Bureau]

Ollie Robinson got his first 50 in test cricket as he has been batting well in the lower position. Root has already got his century and this partnership is now nearing 100 runs. Both Shiraj and Akash are not being as effective as they were on the first day. I think Rohit should bring in the spinners as the pitch is not favoring the pace of bowling. I have a feeling that Robinson could get to his first test century if he keeps on batting in the same manner. England is going to get above 400 runs if these two guys keep on batting today.

[pakhitheboss]

What a disaster for India they got the England set batters out after great difficulty and now more than half of the Indian batters are out. This is just like the first test and England are ruling the fourth one. Except for Jaiswal, Gill, and the current batter Jurel, almost every other batter was out cheaply. Cannot comment on the overall batting of Rohit as he is the captain and he has been leading the way in the series with poor batting. India still trails by 134 runs and I have a feeling that they won't be able to get those runs. The fact that most of our star players are injured I would love to see them taking a break while their team plays in IPL.

[Bureau]

All because of Dhruv Jurel the Indian team was able to make a comeback. Kuldeep also played an important part wherein he could stick on the nonstriker end with Jurel. I felt he could get his first test 100 but Jurel got out at 90 but was able to reduce the trail to 46 runs today. England has now a lead of 46 runs and they will try to add another 330 runs to get to a comfortable position. The pitch is now favoring the spinners as both Bashir and Hartley took the highest number of wickets. Bashir got his first fifer in test cricket which is an achievement for a young bowler like him.

[pakhitheboss]

All because of Dhruv Jurel the Indian team was able to make a comeback. Kuldeep also played an important part wherein he could stick on the nonstriker end with Jurel. I felt he could get his first test 100 but Jurel got out at 90 but was able to reduce the trail to 46 runs today. England has now a lead of 46 runs and they will try to add another 330 runs to get to a comfortable position. The pitch is now favoring the spinners as both Bashir and Hartley took the highest number of wickets. Bashir got his first fifer in test cricket which is an achievement for a young bowler like him.

Dhruv Jurel played well and yes he was unsuccessful in getting his first 100 in test cricket. The other thing that I noticed is that the wicket was very effective for spinners as the new guy Bashir was able to get 4 wickets. India started very well as Ashwin got all the important batters early on in the game and finished the second innings with a fifer. Kuldeep again bowled very well, he took 4 wickets and not to forget he was the one supporting Jurel when India needed to chase those runs. The lead is not so big and last when I saw India needed 155 runs to win the fourth test. Two days are still left but Indian batter have to take all their time to chase those runs and win the series.

[Bitcoin Smith]

All because of Dhruv Jurel the Indian team was able to make a comeback. Kuldeep also played an important part wherein he could stick on the nonstriker end with Jurel. I felt he could get his first test 100 but Jurel got out at 90 but was able to reduce the trail to 46 runs today. England has now a lead of 46 runs and they will try to add another 330 runs to get to a comfortable position. The pitch is now favoring the spinners as both Bashir and Hartley took the highest number of wickets. Bashir got his first fifer in test cricket which is an achievement for a young bowler like him.

Dhruv Jurel played well and yes he was unsuccessful in getting his first 100 in test cricket. The other thing that I noticed is that the wicket was very effective for spinners as the new guy Bashir was able to get 4 wickets. India started very well as Ashwin got all the important batters early on in the game and finished the second innings with a fifer. Kuldeep again bowled very well, he took 4 wickets and not to forget he was the one supporting Jurel when India needed to chase those runs. The lead is not so big and last when I saw India needed 155 runs to win the fourth test. Two days are still left but Indian batter have to take all their time to chase those runs and win the series.

We will have the result by tomorrow for sure, especially in the 2 sessions.

India has to start with caution and aggression in the morning and let them go out of their box which is enough to win the match and I feel definitely the series in the hands now even though we still need 150 odd runs cause the wickets in hand is 10.

[Bureau]

All because of Dhruv Jurel the Indian team was able to make a comeback. Kuldeep also played an important part wherein he could stick on the nonstriker end with Jurel. I felt he could get his first test 100 but Jurel got out at 90 but was able to reduce the trail to 46 runs today. England has now a lead of 46 runs and they will try to add another 330 runs to get to a comfortable position. The pitch is now favoring the spinners as both Bashir and Hartley took the highest number of wickets. Bashir got his first fifer in test cricket which is an achievement for a young bowler like him.

Dhruv Jurel played well and yes he was unsuccessful in getting his first 100 in test cricket. The other thing that I noticed is that the wicket was very effective for spinners as the new guy Bashir was able to get 4 wickets. India started very well as Ashwin got all the important batters early on in the game and finished the second innings with a fifer. Kuldeep again bowled very well, he took 4 wickets and not to forget he was the one supporting Jurel when India needed to chase those runs. The lead is not so big and last when I saw India needed 155 runs to win the fourth test. Two days are still left but Indian batter have to take all their time to chase those runs and win the series.

We will have the result by tomorrow for sure, especially in the 2 sessions.

India has to start with caution and aggression in the morning and let them go out of their box which is enough to win the match and I feel definitely the series in the hands now even though we still need 150 odd runs cause the wickets in hand is 10.

The lead is of only 152 runs and either India will be able to chase it or lose all its wickets. The way both Indian openers played yesterday it looked like India should get those runs. But, the early morning conditions are different to the end of day condition. Therefore I agree with you that first 15 overs they need to play cautiously. If the are able to bat without losing any wickets then India would be able to win the match and the series.

[Bitcoin Smith]

~

The lead is of only 152 runs and either India will be able to chase it or lose all its wickets. The way both Indian openers played yesterday it looked like India should get those runs. But, the early morning conditions are different to the end of day condition. Therefore I agree with you that first 15 overs they need to play cautiously. If the are able to bat without losing any wickets then India would be able to win the match and the series.

India started collapsing after a great start but Gill and Jurel made sure that they are not going to let the Bazball theory to win especially Jurel who was the one gave confidence when India lost back to back three wickets and Gill can't able to rotate the strike.

He is definitely one for the future and WK batter name starts with D and who know what future hold for us.

India won 17th consecutive test series in home and this is the first series loss for Eng since they started following Bazball.

[Bureau]

I was watching a discussion between two famous English veteran cricketers yesterday. The discussion was focused on how badly the team batted and how bad captainship resulted in the cricket series loss. There was one point that almost every Indian might have forgotten after this incredible team won the fourth test: the Indian side lacked big names. It was a team of new players some of them were debutants and most of them did not have much test cricket experience. Except Rohit Sharma, Jadeja, and Ashwin the team had 8 new players, and considering a few all of them gave their best in the fourth test. In all probable scenarios, I think 3 or 4 players will become permanent in the Indian test squad and in the ODI squad.   

[pakhitheboss]

I was watching a discussion between two famous English veteran cricketers yesterday. The discussion was focused on how badly the team batted and how bad captainship resulted in the cricket series loss. There was one point that almost every Indian might have forgotten after this incredible team won the fourth test: the Indian side lacked big names. It was a team of new players some of them were debutants and most of them did not have much test cricket experience. Except Rohit Sharma, Jadeja, and Ashwin the team had 8 new players, and considering a few all of them gave their best in the fourth test. In all probable scenarios, I think 3 or 4 players will become permanent in the Indian test squad and in the ODI squad.   

It is what makes everyone looking into the outcome makes them realize that this is a new team. I doubt anyone here would have thout about it as the way you did it. Good analysis and it is something that we never understood as we were all going after the outcome. Another game and the end result is that the outcome favoured us as a team of young players.

[Bitcoin Smith]

~

It is what makes everyone looking into the outcome makes them realize that this is a new team. I doubt anyone here would have thout about it as the way you did it. Good analysis and it is something that we never understood as we were all going after the outcome. Another game and the end result is that the outcome favoured us as a team of young players.

Still, England played well though, in my opinion. We are expected to win this series by 5-0 but they raised the expectation by winning the 1st match from no win situation and in the remaining matches also threatened India but not enough sensible play to win the matches.

ENG will try to play in the same way cause that is what gave them the success when they were down and also we can't deny the Bazball made the test cricket more interesting and it's indeed when people are focused more on T20 and other shorter formats.

[Bureau]

Below is the list of players who have been retained by BCCI central contract.


Ishan Kishan & Shreyas Iyer have been removed as a punishment for not following the BCCI directives. They both were asked to play in the Ranji trophy from thier respective states which the failed to do. I don't think these two will now get any further opportunities to play for India in the future. Slowly the BCCI will ensure that they are release by thie respective franchisee from IPL. Which should happen in next year.

[pakhitheboss]

Ishan Kishan is now certainly having a mental break down after him getting released from the central contract. This was going to happen to him as he took everything casually which the BCCI has been conveying him earlier. PR for Iyer are now active on X.com as I saw a good amount of cricket influencer supporting him and asking BCCI question. In the meantime Jay Shah busy preparing to visit Jamnagar to enjoy Ambani's son grand wedding.

[Bureau]

I still don't understand why he went against the governing body and jeopardized his career. Ishan Kishan is too young to destroy his career by not behaving like a professional. He will now regret his actions for the rest of his life. Some so many players are dying to be part of the squad and play for India and some guys like Ishan Kishan take it for granted. Iyer is following the path of Sanju Samson which will lead to nothing. Once in a while, he might get an opportunity but that won't matter if he doesn't bat well.

[pakhitheboss]

I still think that some of the senior players would be rested. I guess Bhumrah, Ashwin and Jadeja will be rested for the 5th test. As India has already won the series there no point in selecting the seniors. There are a few players who have been on the bench. It is better to give them a chance in the 5th test. It would be a good idea to test them in case we replacement in any other test series.

[Bureau]

I doubt there will be any changes made in the team. They will go ahead with the same team and might give Bhumrah a rest in the final test. Akash Deep bowled well in the last test match he should get another opportunity in the final test. I don't see any need for the management to make any changes as the current team is in full form to book another win in the final test match in the series.

[pakhitheboss]

I doubt there will be any changes made in the team. They will go ahead with the same team and might give Bhumrah a rest in the final test. Akash Deep bowled well in the last test match he should get another opportunity in the final test. I don't see any need for the management to make any changes as the current team is in full form to book another win in the final test match in the series.

I doubt it as I think they as in the management will rest all the seniors and experiment with the new guys. The last test is where the new guys can be tested and some of them will become either bowlers we need or batters. We have already seen how good Jurel is behind the stumps, he has been accurate enough to use DRS and has been a good batter. I have a notion similar to the legendary Sunil Gavaskar that he might be the next Dhoni in the making. As he does what Dhoni did when he started his career as a WC. It is high time for the Indian team to get a wicket-keeper who can bat and take productive decisions.

[Bitcoin Smith]

I doubt there will be any changes made in the team. They will go ahead with the same team and might give Bhumrah a rest in the final test. Akash Deep bowled well in the last test match he should get another opportunity in the final test. I don't see any need for the management to make any changes as the current team is in full form to book another win in the final test match in the series.

I doubt it as I think they as in the management will rest all the seniors and experiment with the new guys. The last test is where the new guys can be tested and some of them will become either bowlers we need or batters. We have already seen how good Jurel is behind the stumps, he has been accurate enough to use DRS and has been a good batter. I have a notion similar to the legendary Sunil Gavaskar that he might be the next Dhoni in the making. As he does what Dhoni did when he started his career as a WC. It is high time for the Indian team to get a wicket-keeper who can bat and take productive decisions.

Jurel is actually a destructive batter but he controlled his natural action and try to adapt to the playing situation in all the innings he played so far. He is good for the future but still a long way to even consider for someone like Dhoni.

Bumrah will play and Siraj is going to be rested that's the most latest news regarding the playing XI and the only one spot is uncertain which is Patidar will be given one more chance or he got enough and failed to prove so swap him with Padikkal.

[Bureau]

Jurel is actually a destructive batter but he controlled his natural action and try to adapt to the playing situation in all the innings he played so far. He is good for the future but still a long way to even consider for someone like Dhoni.

Bumrah will play and Siraj is going to be rested that's the most latest news regarding the playing XI and the only one spot is uncertain which is Patidar will be given one more chance or he got enough and failed to prove so swap him with Padikkal.

Jurel is both a good batter and a good wicket-keeper, there were many situations when he gave the right information for DRS to Rohit. I found that lagging when Bharat was part of the team. Patidar has been completely out of form and I do not think he will be part of the team for the final test. Agreed with you that Shiraj may be rested Bhumrah will play and the rest of the team will be the same. If India can win the final test then its ranking on WTC would be secured but we still have the Australia series which will not be easy.

[pakhitheboss]

I don't understand why BCCI takes so much time in announcing the names of player who will be probably the playing eleven. Tomorrow is the match and still they haven't announced the team. Just before the game starts they will come up with a decision. England has announced that they will be retaining the old squad except Ollie Robinson as he is being replaced by Wood.

[Bitcoin Smith]

I don't understand why BCCI takes so much time in announcing the names of player who will be probably the playing eleven. Tomorrow is the match and still they haven't announced the team. Just before the game starts they will come up with a decision. England has announced that they will be retaining the old squad except Ollie Robinson as he is being replaced by Wood.

India go by the traditional way, there is no need to announce playing XI to be honest and if ENG does means they just want to exite audiences but India will pick the XI based on the pitch condition that we can only find before the match begins so captian and team management will assess the condition and pick right players like whether two seam attack or the pitch is hard enough for three pace attack, etc.

[Bureau]

As expected Patidar has been dropped from the final test. Padikkal gets to debut in International test cricket. This will be the first test series where we have noticed so many debutants. Debuting in international test games doesn't happen every day and those who debut are considered the best cricket players.

Out of the all who debuted I feel Bharat and Patidar wasted this incredible opportunity to cement their name in Indian cricket. I doubt they will be given another opportunity to represent India in international cricket in the future.

[pakhitheboss]

England won the toss and choose to bat first. The openers gave a good start but as soon as they were out the middle order again crumbled. On a batting pitch England managed to get 218 runs that proves the middle order is out of form. Ashwin playing his 100th test got 4 wickets whereas Kuldeep broke the crucial opening partnership and went on to tak 5 wickets.

Indian batting was stable as both Indian openers got their half century. Whereas Jaisawal inexperience led him to lose his wicket. Hit man is still batting and Inwould lve to see him get a century this time.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Team India did exactly what they are capable of and it's done in a venue where more assistance for seamers and conditions similar to England and not just this venue but every venue was fair and gave equal opportunity for both the teams and one who actually performed crossed the line. India started with bang in their batting too and England might be approaching a huge lead and what I admired is how Kuldeep increased his fielding skills too in this series.

[Bureau]

Devdutt Padikkal got his first international 50. I thought after tea both Khan and him will continue till the end. Unfortunately both got out and India has now lost 5 wickets. Jurel and Jadeja are playing now the lead is still within 200 runs. England spinner Bashir has been having a good series against India. This time again he has taken 3 wickets on a pitch that is good for batters.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Devdutt Padikkal got his first international 50. I thought after tea both Khan and him will continue till the end. Unfortunately both got out and India has now lost 5 wickets. Jurel and Jadeja are playing now the lead is still within 200 runs. England spinner Bashir has been having a good series against India. This time again he has taken 3 wickets on a pitch that is good for batters.

Well the variation in the bounce help here and there so what they have to do is bowl consistently on certain areas which English spinners can't able to do throughout the series and give one or two freebies every over. Test cricket can be agressive too and today our batsmen showed the visitors about how to play and construct innings instead of just hitting the every balls.

Tomorrow the ball may break so will get tough to bat on, India already posted over 200 runs as lead and tail enders are contributing beyond their expectations.

[pakhitheboss]

What an amazing series it has been for the Indian team and Rohit Sharma! Rohit is getting viral for all the wrong language he has been using in this series. This might be the first time that he won a test series with almost a new team. None of the big guns played the test series and with Kohli, Rahul and a few famous names unavailable India still managed to win this series with almost a whitewash.

Ashwin's 100th Test match and his performance was truly Ashwin-esque, as he took 9 wickets. Kuldeep Yadav is not only performing well with the bat but also taking wickets like a professional spinner. The English side found a new spinner after Panesher which is this Pakistani lad Bashir. He was very good in the final test which shows he will now be part of the team for some more years now. 

[Bureau]

Jonny Bairstow got so much wasted due to the nasty sledging by Shubhman Gill and Sararaz Khan that he lost his wicket in the next ball. He was playing well before the sledging had started. 9 wickets taken by Ravichandran Ashwin in his 100th test is another big achievement by the talented spinner. India won by an inning and 64 runs shows how well the Indian team played in the 5th and the final test in the series. The biggest trigger point of the test match for me was the 100-run contribution by Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill.

[JSRAW]

Shreyas Iyer looks cooked to me now. Another failure for him in the ongoing Ranji final. Selectors won't even look at Iyer.

Everyone in Ranji is exploiting his weakness against bouncer, be it a 25 yo bowler or 36 yo Umesh Yadav.

[pakhitheboss]

Shreyas Iyer looks cooked to me now. Another failure for him in the ongoing Ranji final. Selectors won't even look at Iyer.

Everyone in Ranji is exploiting his weakness against bouncer, be it a 25 yo bowler or 36 yo Umesh Yadav.

I don't think that Ishan or Iyer would be able to make a comeback. Ishan due to the discipline issue with BCCI and Iyer due to his continuous poor form. Even the World Cup he was not batting well and with a lot of talent getting a chance play for India in the test series it would be hard for Iyer to secure a place.

[JSRAW]

Shreyas Iyer looks cooked to me now. Another failure for him in the ongoing Ranji final. Selectors won't even look at Iyer.

Everyone in Ranji is exploiting his weakness against bouncer, be it a 25 yo bowler or 36 yo Umesh Yadav.

I don't think that Ishan or Iyer would be able to make a comeback. Ishan due to the discipline issue with BCCI and Iyer due to his continuous poor form. Even the World Cup he was not batting well and with a lot of talent getting a chance play for India in the test series it would be hard for Iyer to secure a place.

Well, his form dipped in the test cricket and his replacements are available so it's alright but it would be unfair to doubt his ODI form, especially in the ODI WC.

The dude has scored more than 500 runs with an average of 65-ish, which includes 2 tons (1 in SF against Kiwis) and 3 50s.

[pakhitheboss]

Shreyas Iyer looks cooked to me now. Another failure for him in the ongoing Ranji final. Selectors won't even look at Iyer.

Everyone in Ranji is exploiting his weakness against bouncer, be it a 25 yo bowler or 36 yo Umesh Yadav.

I don't think that Ishan or Iyer would be able to make a comeback. Ishan due to the discipline issue with BCCI and Iyer due to his continuous poor form. Even the World Cup he was not batting well and with a lot of talent getting a chance play for India in the test series it would be hard for Iyer to secure a place.

Well, his form dipped in the test cricket and his replacements are available so it's alright but it would be unfair to doubt his ODI form, especially in the ODI WC.

The dude has scored more than 500 runs with an average of 65-ish, which includes 2 tons (1 in SF against Kiwis) and 3 50s.

Indian players cannot play in other leagues but are one of the highest-paid in IPL. This and that shit-headed thought that BCCI is a shit and with IPL they would make more than what they can by representing India. Being a Mallu born and brought up in Mumbai this guy thought that he would be replaced as BCCI has a past wherein they always keep a soft heart of those being from Mumbai.

I knew Iyer would get rejected as the fucking owner of BCCI is a Gujarati. It has been evident for some time now that they as in the BCCI are focused on Mumbaiker players and are concentrating more on players from less privileged states or North and West India. You can do a check of players that have debuted recently in the series.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Shreyas Iyer looks cooked to me now. Another failure for him in the ongoing Ranji final. Selectors won't even look at Iyer.

Everyone in Ranji is exploiting his weakness against bouncer, be it a 25 yo bowler or 36 yo Umesh Yadav.

I don't think that Ishan or Iyer would be able to make a comeback. Ishan due to the discipline issue with BCCI and Iyer due to his continuous poor form. Even the World Cup he was not batting well and with a lot of talent getting a chance play for India in the test series it would be hard for Iyer to secure a place.

Well, his form dipped in the test cricket and his replacements are available so it's alright but it would be unfair to doubt his ODI form, especially in the ODI WC.

The dude has scored more than 500 runs with an average of 65-ish, which includes 2 tons (1 in SF against Kiwis) and 3 50s.

There are lot of criticism about excluding Iyer from the BCCI contract and it's kind of unfair decision too cause some players who skipped many Ranji matches haven't been dropped but only him. He started World Cup pretty decent and for the record he is having the record for most runs scored in no.4 position so this decision solely made just because he skipped one Ranji match?

BCCI is pushing very hard as well, players are playing all day throughout the year so it's better to give players a month or two vacation period instead of just firing then all at once.

[pakhitheboss]

^ Iyear is not a small player in Indian cricket and he is a professional player with decent remuneration from several agencies and IPL franchises. He has a strong following and punishing him by BCCI was the right decision. It will stop future players from being such bullies against authority and it will make them realize that BCCI cannot be taken for granted in the present or the future.

Just read the news that Rishab Panth is fit to play in the IPL 2024 and it is great news for the fans. He missed last season due to the accident and this year his comeback would be an event to watch. After the major accident, I would be eager to see how able he is behind the wickets and how in form he would be with the bat. His performance is the IPL would decide whether he should be part of the T20WC team.
 

[Bureau]

The news is that Kohli may not be part of the World Cup squad. Below is the reason that has been given by the Indian selectors which was printed on a trusted news media outlet.

The report claims that selectors believe Kohli has not been at his best in the T20 format, however, if then 'King Kohli' roars again in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2024, the selectors may rethink their strategy.

So they would first evaluate his performance in the IPL and then decide whether he should be included. They might have forgotten his batting against Pakistan in the last cup which happened in Australia. Mohammad Shami and Prasidh Krishna won't be part of this year IPL due to their injuries.

[Bitcoin Smith]

The news is that Kohli may not be part of the World Cup squad. Below is the reason that has been given by the Indian selectors which was printed on a trusted news media outlet.

The report claims that selectors believe Kohli has not been at his best in the T20 format, however, if then 'King Kohli' roars again in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2024, the selectors may rethink their strategy.

So they would first evaluate his performance in the IPL and then decide whether he should be included. They might have forgotten his batting against Pakistan in the last cup which happened in Australia. Mohammad Shami and Prasidh Krishna won't be part of this year IPL due to their injuries.

Team India can't afford to exclude players like Kohli and they won't be that stupid to do that either, Its coming from some non sense cricket experts who involved in cricket somehow but saying kohli shouldn't play.

He is the top run scorer of IPL and he is holding the record for highest runs on a season and he has records that may not be broken for a while.

He excluded himself from this test series by himself to be with his family on important occasion but there is no doubt that he will be back to complete form and will roar as always for RCB but their team never performed to win a trophy.

[Bureau]

The news is that Kohli may not be part of the World Cup squad. Below is the reason that has been given by the Indian selectors which was printed on a trusted news media outlet.

The report claims that selectors believe Kohli has not been at his best in the T20 format, however, if then 'King Kohli' roars again in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2024, the selectors may rethink their strategy.

So they would first evaluate his performance in the IPL and then decide whether he should be included. They might have forgotten his batting against Pakistan in the last cup which happened in Australia. Mohammad Shami and Prasidh Krishna won't be part of this year IPL due to their injuries.

Team India can't afford to exclude players like Kohli and they won't be that stupid to do that either, Its coming from some non sense cricket experts who involved in cricket somehow but saying kohli shouldn't play.

He is the top run scorer of IPL and he is holding the record for highest runs on a season and he has records that may not be broken for a while.

He excluded himself from this test series by himself to be with his family on important occasion but there is no doubt that he will be back to complete form and will roar as always for RCB but their team never performed to win a trophy.

I agree this news is baseless and it is hard to believe that someone like Kohli has to go through this news. I don't understand what Agarkar wants and who can replace Kohli as I don't think anyone has capability to play all three form of cricket with ease. I agree he went through a bad phase but he made an incredible comeback and he will bat well in the tournament. I am sure in this season of IPL we will see the same Kohli like he used to be earlier.

[Bitcoin Smith]

The news is that Kohli may not be part of the World Cup squad. Below is the reason that has been given by the Indian selectors which was printed on a trusted news media outlet.

The report claims that selectors believe Kohli has not been at his best in the T20 format, however, if then 'King Kohli' roars again in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2024, the selectors may rethink their strategy.

So they would first evaluate his performance in the IPL and then decide whether he should be included. They might have forgotten his batting against Pakistan in the last cup which happened in Australia. Mohammad Shami and Prasidh Krishna won't be part of this year IPL due to their injuries.

Team India can't afford to exclude players like Kohli and they won't be that stupid to do that either, Its coming from some non sense cricket experts who involved in cricket somehow but saying kohli shouldn't play.

He is the top run scorer of IPL and he is holding the record for highest runs on a season and he has records that may not be broken for a while.

He excluded himself from this test series by himself to be with his family on important occasion but there is no doubt that he will be back to complete form and will roar as always for RCB but their team never performed to win a trophy.

I agree this news is baseless and it is hard to believe that someone like Kohli has to go through this news. I don't understand what Agarkar wants and who can replace Kohli as I don't think anyone has capability to play all three form of cricket with ease. I agree he went through a bad phase but he made an incredible comeback and he will bat well in the tournament. I am sure in this season of IPL we will see the same Kohli like he used to be earlier.

Just for the record Kohli has amazing seasons in terms of individual performance but the team failed to reach the bigger stage more often even with all the superstar players and the venue playing condition also had a role in that. Kohli is in his prime form for very long time and he is not a destructive hitter, he is known for class and he does makeup after first 20 balls in terms of strike rate too then I don't understand what could be the reason even to spread such rumour.

[pakhitheboss]

Who do you think will win the second season of WPL 2024? Will it be RCB or DC, I think RCB winning against a good team like MI was a fluke. As we have seen such flukes quite frequently happening in IPL. I was expecting a good final but after RCB entering the finals I think DC will now comfortably win WPL this season. DC is a much stronger team out of all the franchise teams and they have been superb in the league matches. This time they will win and if not then RCB men should learn from the women's team.

[Bureau]

Who do you think will win the second season of WPL 2024? Will it be RCB or DC, I think RCB winning against a good team like MI was a fluke. As we have seen such flukes quite frequently happening in IPL. I was expecting a good final but after RCB entering the finals I think DC will now comfortably win WPL this season. DC is a much stronger team out of all the franchise teams and they have been superb in the league matches. This time they will win and if not then RCB men should learn from the women's team.

No way can RCB win the finals of WPL 2024. If you look at the point table DC are the number one team. They have a strong batting depth which is not present in RCB. They won because of poor batting of MI and went on to reach the finals for the first time. MI and DC were supposed to be in the final as per the bookies but that didn't happen in this year.

[Bureau]

Ajit Agarkar (Chief Selector of BCCI) once said "Virat Kohli is not suited for T20 cricket". King Kohli got back to back 50 in IPL to answer that guys doubt about him. He is playing at his pinnacle and he is playing far better than he used to do before 2019. The Indian T20 team for World Cup cannot be complete without Virat Kohli.

[Bitcoin Smith]

We are at the halfway stage of IPL season and the performance will greatly impact the selection committee for the upcoming T20 WC squad.

The deadline set by ICC to announce the WC squad is May 1.

So hereby let's speculate who is going to be in and who go no chance, let's bring in some discussion guys.

[Bureau]

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, SKY, Pant, KL Rahul and Bhumrah should be in the squad for World Cup. Sanju Samson may be included in but I have a little doubt. BCCI have created flat pitches for IPL and that is why we are seeing big runs currently but in an ICC event pitch will not always be batter friendly then of course we need to remember that it is being hosted in West indies and US. Wherein WI is known to create pitches that are bowler friendly.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, SKY, Pant, KL Rahul and Bhumrah should be in the squad for World Cup. Sanju Samson may be included in but I have a little doubt. BCCI have created flat pitches for IPL and that is why we are seeing big runs currently but in an ICC event pitch will not always be batter friendly then of course we need to remember that it is being hosted in West indies and US. Wherein WI is known to create pitches that are bowler friendly.

Not just flat pitches, the size of boundaries also smaller in most grounds that's why we saw the 11 year record has been breached 5 times this year and we are just at the halfway.

KL is consistent in ODI format but I don't think he will have a spot in T20 WC but probably can be considered as backup WK batsman if not Sanju.

All rounder slot is what I am most excited cause Hardik is the genuine all rounder in the Pacers category and everyone else is more of batting or bowling all rounder meanwhile Hardik has bad season until now.

[pakhitheboss]

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, SKY, Pant, KL Rahul and Bhumrah should be in the squad for World Cup. Sanju Samson may be included in but I have a little doubt. BCCI have created flat pitches for IPL and that is why we are seeing big runs currently but in an ICC event pitch will not always be batter friendly then of course we need to remember that it is being hosted in West indies and US. Wherein WI is known to create pitches that are bowler friendly.

Not just flat pitches, the size of boundaries also smaller in most grounds that's why we saw the 11 year record has been breached 5 times this year and we are just at the halfway.

KL is consistent in ODI format but I don't think he will have a spot in T20 WC but probably can be considered as backup WK batsman if not Sanju.

All rounder slot is what I am most excited cause Hardik is the genuine all rounder in the Pacers category and everyone else is more of batting or bowling all rounder meanwhile Hardik has bad season until now.

What I think does not matter as BCCI will make its selection based on the way players perform this season of IPL. The biggest blunder the chief selector made was declaring Rohit as the captain before the IPL. As of now, he is not in the right state of mind to bat as he lost his MI captaincy to a shit player. He has clearly said in public that the T20WC squad will need Kohli. Two players who are not doing good are already reserved and they will play every game.

The problem now for the selectors is to find 9 players who are good in their domain. Out of these 9 players, they will need 4 bowlers minimum and a wicket-keeper, now they are left with 4 batters and all-rounders who can bat and bowl. The competition is fierce and we will see some new names in that 4 required batters/allrounders/WK. We might see 3 new names on that list who are known for their batting and not anything else. In total the Indian team will have 5 batters and the rest will be a mixture so, the task for the selectors are to find three batters who can help the team in bringing the cup back home after 2007.

[Bitcoin Smith]

What I think does not matter as BCCI will make its selection based on the way players perform this season of IPL. The biggest blunder the chief selector made was declaring Rohit as the captain before the IPL. As of now, he is not in the right state of mind to bat as he lost his MI captaincy to a shit player. He has clearly said in public that the T20WC squad will need Kohli. Two players who are not doing good are already reserved and they will play every game.

IMO, Rohit deserved to lead the team for one last time in the WC because we should not forget how he dominated the first 10 matches of ODI WC but one bad day costed the trophy.

About losing captaincy which is not in his hands cause owners decides who is going to be and they didn't hesitate to swap who brought championship for 5 times and regarding Virat he is doing what he can do but the team he is playing is not doing anything at all.

We should not only consider IPL performances for WC, since we are not going to play in Indian pitches so one who has experience in playing overseas conditions will likely to be preferable.

[Bureau]

^ I too think Rohit should get one last chance as a captain of the T20 side. He is not at his best and has been struggling with the bat but as a captain he can make a difference.

Another thing is that Virat might be slow with his SR but he is a pillar that gives the team a confidence by only being present on the field. I do think he should be part of the squad and this may be the last time that we might see both Rohit & Virat in a World Cup.

[Bitcoin Smith]

BCCI announced the 15 men squad for T20 WC 2024



My first impression is why the fuck they missed Rinku, who is the best ever finsiher and BCCI made a big mistake in that part, still he is in the reserves of someone goes injured.

Samson finally banged the door with his IPL performances but 4 spinners and 3 pacers is again risky.

Do you think this is the team gonna win the trophy?

[Bureau]

BCCI announced the 15 men squad for T20 WC 2024

My first impression is why the fuck they missed Rinku, who is the best ever finsiher and BCCI made a big mistake in that part, still he is in the reserves of someone goes injured.

Samson finally banged the door with his IPL performances but 4 spinners and 3 pacers is again risky.

Do you think this is the team gonna win the trophy?

All known names are in the squad for the upcoming World Cup. KL Rahul and Rinku Singh not getting a spot is a surprise. Already the team has two wicketkeepers therefore KL Rahul was removed but Rinku could play a significant role down the order. Most of the top tier players except Virat Kohli are out of form. I hope they regain their form before the big event starts in June.

[Bitcoin Smith]

All known names are in the squad for the upcoming World Cup. KL Rahul and Rinku Singh not getting a spot is a surprise. Already the team has two wicketkeepers therefore KL Rahul was removed but Rinku could play a significant role down the order. Most of the top tier players except Virat Kohli are out of form. I hope they regain their form before the big event starts in June.

Exclusion of KL Rahul is much expected since Pant is back but can't understand about Rinku Singh cause he clearly made impact on every given chance and he could be the player that can finish the games when needed, now who is going to be the finisher is big question.

Still the team is batting heavy but wrong combination can cause the tournaments and that we can witness from what happened to RCB and MI now the same might repeat for India in WC too.

Politics played a part in the selection.

[Bureau]

All known names are in the squad for the upcoming World Cup. KL Rahul and Rinku Singh not getting a spot is a surprise. Already the team has two wicketkeepers therefore KL Rahul was removed but Rinku could play a significant role down the order. Most of the top tier players except Virat Kohli are out of form. I hope they regain their form before the big event starts in June.

Exclusion of KL Rahul is much expected since Pant is back but can't understand about Rinku Singh cause he clearly made impact on every given chance and he could be the player that can finish the games when needed, now who is going to be the finisher is big question.

Still the team is batting heavy but wrong combination can cause the tournaments and that we can witness from what happened to RCB and MI now the same might repeat for India in WC too.

Politics played a part in the selection.

Why wasn't Rituraj Gaikwad not considered in place of Yashasvi Jaiswal? I was going through the stats of both batters in IPL 2024 and found out both played same number of innings, which is 9. Rituraj got 447 runs and Jaiswal got 249 runs, out of 249 runs he has only 1 century where as Gaikwad missed by 2 runs. For me Rohit Sharma was the reason why Jaiswal got a position in the squad.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Why wasn't Rituraj Gaikwad not considered in place of Yashasvi Jaiswal? I was going through the stats of both batters in IPL 2024 and found out both played same number of innings, which is 9. Rituraj got 447 runs and Jaiswal got 249 runs, out of 249 runs he has only 1 century where as Gaikwad missed by 2 runs. For me Rohit Sharma was the reason why Jaiswal got a position in the squad.

The year 2024 has been very great for Jaiswal in all the formats especially the ENG tour when he stamped his name for the opening slot even though Rutu has been exceptional the number of players competing for opening slot is too much so they ignored Rutu but I expected him to be on the reserves in the place of Gill if the selection purely based on skills and recent form.

[Bureau]

I found this tweet going viral on social media. What do you guys think? What she is saying is a dark reality when I look into the current squad.

[Bitcoin Smith]

I found this tweet going viral on social media. What do you guys think? What she is saying is a dark reality when I look into the current squad.

Those stars would be really interested to be a part of ICC winning squad and I don't blame them because they are the one who took Indian cricket to this level and we can't deny India once had hope on only one man to win matches now dominating any side in the world no matter in home or away games.


ICC extended the deadline to make changes in the T20 squad upto 25th May, all I wanted to see Rinku in the place of that one extra spinner that they are never going to play at all.

[pakhitheboss]

I found this tweet going viral on social media. What do you guys think? What she is saying is a dark reality when I look into the current squad.

Those stars would be really interested to be a part of ICC winning squad and I don't blame them because they are the one who took Indian cricket to this level and we can't deny India once had hope on only one man to win matches now dominating any side in the world no matter in home or away games.


ICC extended the deadline to make changes in the T20 squad upto 25th May, all I wanted to see Rinku in the place of that one extra spinner that they are never going to play at all.

Seems like many Indian cricket fans are not appreciating the enormous effort that the selectors put in to decide which player should be part of the squad. I am not against any player but to me this will be the last time we will see many players playing their last WC. Most of them will retire and will only be available for IPL.

If ICC has extended the date then we might see a few new faces in the squad. I hope those who are deserving should be included in the team. Rituraj Gaikwad is one of them as he is now the proud owner of the orange cap.

[Bureau]

I found this tweet going viral on social media. What do you guys think? What she is saying is a dark reality when I look into the current squad.

Those stars would be really interested to be a part of ICC winning squad and I don't blame them because they are the one who took Indian cricket to this level and we can't deny India once had hope on only one man to win matches now dominating any side in the world no matter in home or away games.


ICC extended the deadline to make changes in the T20 squad upto 25th May, all I wanted to see Rinku in the place of that one extra spinner that they are never going to play at all.

Seems like many Indian cricket fans are not appreciating the enormous effort that the selectors put in to decide which player should be part of the squad. I am not against any player but to me this will be the last time we will see many players playing their last WC. Most of them will retire and will only be available for IPL.

If ICC has extended the date then we might see a few new faces in the squad. I hope those who are deserving should be included in the team. Rituraj Gaikwad is one of them as he is now the proud owner of the orange cap.

Another controversy that erupted as soon as the World Cup squad was announced was the appointment of Hardik Pandya as the Vice Captain of the squad. Ajit Agarkar has now come out with the reason why Hardik Pandya was the given the responsibility. He said 'no replacement for Hardik Pandya'. I think there were replacement but MI had pressurized him to go for Hardik Pandya. Bhumrah has proven that he can take that responsibility and so did SKY. We have seen how bad his captaincy has been in the IPL and there is a lot of doubt about Agarkar's ability to be the chief selector now.

[pakhitheboss]

Another controversy that erupted as soon as the World Cup squad was announced was the appointment of Hardik Pandya as the Vice Captain of the squad. Ajit Agarkar has now come out with the reason why Hardik Pandya was the given the responsibility. He said 'no replacement for Hardik Pandya'. I think there were replacement but MI had pressurized him to go for Hardik Pandya. Bhumrah has proven that he can take that responsibility and so did SKY. We have seen how bad his captaincy has been in the IPL and there is a lot of doubt about Agarkar's ability to be the chief selector now.

The controversy only erupted due to his bad captaincy in the IPL otherwise it was known before that he would be the VC of the team. I do not know what has happened to him after the injury he has not been quite in the zone. He is struggling both as a batter and not bowling the way he had before, everything will come to an end if he can play his best against Pakistan that is all Indian fans need to shut their mouth. If they lose the WC then it will not hurt them but if the lose against Pakistan then it will haunt the fans for a long time.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Another controversy that erupted as soon as the World Cup squad was announced was the appointment of Hardik Pandya as the Vice Captain of the squad. Ajit Agarkar has now come out with the reason why Hardik Pandya was the given the responsibility. He said 'no replacement for Hardik Pandya'. I think there were replacement

As of now there is no replacement for Hardik on one scale level, Dube can bowl a couple of overs but definitely he is not in the level of Hardik. But I don't feel Hardik should be your third seamer either he should be considered as an option when one bowler is having an off day which can happen to anyone but the current team combination Hardik is the third seamer for sure but if he has to sit out due to injury then the entire team combination has to be changed like what happened in ODI WC.

[Bureau]

Another controversy that erupted as soon as the World Cup squad was announced was the appointment of Hardik Pandya as the Vice Captain of the squad. Ajit Agarkar has now come out with the reason why Hardik Pandya was the given the responsibility. He said 'no replacement for Hardik Pandya'. I think there were replacement

As of now there is no replacement for Hardik on one scale level, Dube can bowl a couple of overs but definitely he is not in the level of Hardik. But I don't feel Hardik should be your third seamer either he should be considered as an option when one bowler is having an off day which can happen to anyone but the current team combination Hardik is the third seamer for sure but if he has to sit out due to injury then the entire team combination has to be changed like what happened in ODI WC.

In ODI World Cup we had MD Shami but in this one we don't have any other bowler of such caliber. Next Rohit Sharma is in bad shape, he has been for sometime now but his PR team has been great in making him look like everything is okay with him. Again he failed to give a good start to MI yesterday. If he is not able to bat in his home ground imagine what will he to in the ICC event abroad.

[Bitcoin Smith]

In ODI World Cup we had MD Shami but in this one we don't have any other bowler of such caliber. Next Rohit Sharma is in bad shape, he has been for sometime now but his PR team has been great in making him look like everything is okay with him. Again he failed to give a good start to MI yesterday. If he is not able to bat in his home ground imagine what will he to in the ICC event abroad.

Indian team became more destructive in WC after Shami replaced Hardik but it has to be compromised with one batter less than they intended to which is what I said has to make changes in the combination if he injured.

Rohit's T20 format in particular has been declining like since 2019 and also IPL too but still he can be destructive anyday so I still take a bet with him for some reasons maybe the experience I guess and bowlers will become clueless if he starts connecting the balls which no one can deny.

[Bureau]

In ODI World Cup we had MD Shami but in this one we don't have any other bowler of such caliber. Next Rohit Sharma is in bad shape, he has been for sometime now but his PR team has been great in making him look like everything is okay with him. Again he failed to give a good start to MI yesterday. If he is not able to bat in his home ground imagine what will he to in the ICC event abroad.

Rohit's T20 format in particular has been declining like since 2019 and also IPL too but still he can be destructive anyday so I still take a bet with him for some reasons maybe the experience I guess and bowlers will become clueless if he starts connecting the balls which no one can deny.

I earlier thought that the burden of captaincy is responsible for his decline as a batter. After watching him in IPL it is now evident that it is an overall decline or he is not much involved in net practice. His selection of shots and his timing has gone down as most of the time he gets out by getting caught. His technique is still top class but his overconfidence is not helping him at all as a batter.

[Bitcoin Smith]

I earlier thought that the burden of captaincy is responsible for his decline as a batter. After watching him in IPL it is now evident that it is an overall decline or he is not much involved in net practice. His selection of shots and his timing has gone down as most of the time he gets out by getting caught. His technique is still top class but his overconfidence is not helping him at all as a batter.

Exactly, lacks of confidence is one of the reason for decline in the form but talking about confidence we all knew what happened just before the start of IPL his captaincy got stolen, and we never know it was discussed with him or not but all his body language says he isn't part of the captaincy swap so he is being an outsider for MI in this season.

Rohit always had a weak link against pacers with the new ball, but his hitting ability is what covered it for long. We should not forget he got a 100 in this year for MI as well against MI.

[Bureau]

Rohit always had a weak link against pacers with the new ball, but his hitting ability is what covered it for long. We should not forget he got a 100 in this year for MI as well against MI.

That is the only century that he has got in IPL 2024. Out of 11 innings he managed to get 326 runs after including that century. His batting abilities in the present time are no matches to what he used to do in his younger days. As a 37 year old this will be his last try to get a World Cup trophy. If this time he is unsuccessful then his PR team won't be able to help him gain sympathy from the country.

[pakhitheboss]

Rohit always had a weak link against pacers with the new ball, but his hitting ability is what covered it for long. We should not forget he got a 100 in this year for MI as well against MI.

That is the only century that he has got in IPL 2024. Out of 11 innings he managed to get 326 runs after including that century. His batting abilities in the present time are no matches to what he used to do in his younger days. As a 37 year old this will be his last try to get a World Cup trophy. If this time he is unsuccessful then his PR team won't be able to help him gain sympathy from the country.

He is in the worst form of his career, he has fitness issues and has the worst stats in this IPL. Considering all the above issues why BCCI still wants Rohit to captain a team which is going play the T20WC. Media and every cricket fan are so much obsessed with Kohli that they forget about Rohit's batting for the last three or four years. If today Kohli retires then it will be an end for Rohit career as he will be forced to retire from all formats of cricket.

[Bitcoin Smith]

He is in the worst form of his career, he has fitness issues and has the worst stats in this IPL. Considering all the above issues why BCCI still wants Rohit to captain a team which is going play the T20WC. Media and every cricket fan are so much obsessed with Kohli that they forget about Rohit's batting for the last three or four years. If today Kohli retires then it will be an end for Rohit career as he will be forced to retire from all formats of cricket.

I am getting a sense that he will announce his retirement from international cricket or atleast from the Whitehall cricket when this T20 season ends unless he process us wrong and capable of winning an ICC trophy. Kohli still looks good and 35-36 so if he manages his fitness as of now then they are maybe playing him one more cycle just to gain the fame for cricket in Olympics 2028.

[Bureau]

Yesterday Sanju Samson's out was controversial. I felt he wasn't out but the TV umpire goofed it up and further he has now been fined 30% of match fee because of his argument with the field umpire. This is not the first time that TV umpires have given wrong decision after taking help of the technology. I feel the time has now come to replace TV umpires with AI umpires who will take the right decision.

[pakhitheboss]

Yesterday Sanju Samson's out was controversial. I felt he wasn't out but the TV umpire goofed it up and further he has now been fined 30% of match fee because of his argument with the field umpire. This is not the first time that TV umpires have given wrong decision after taking help of the technology. I feel the time has now come to replace TV umpires with AI umpires who will take the right decision.

That was not an out it was a six but the TV umpire goofed up once again. This might be the third or fourth time that a TV umpire gave a out that wasn't an out. I don't understand how do they make such mistakes when they have technology in hand where they can verify their reasoning multiple time. The BCCI should take such incidents in account before selecting the umpires for IPL.

[Bureau]

Found this meme being circulated on social media and I found it to be retable that why sharing it here. The Indian jersey has a lot of similarities with TKMOC GPL tournament . What do you guys think?