India cricket Discussion and predictions [self-mod]

[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.