India cricket Discussion and predictions [self-mod]

[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.

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[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]

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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.