2nd Test: India v England at Visakhapatnam on Nov 17-21,

[Slipstream]

Knee injury. Sounds like we're being made ready for Woakes being left out.

The alternatives
Anderson - no miles in his legs
Finn - 26 overs since the cc
Ball - 4 overs in the Bangladesh warm up game

Just keep Woakes. Next Test you could bring in Anderson, having more net miles in his legs and on as a sub fielder. Then he is doesn't have back to back Tests and has a rest between 3rd and 4th Test.

As for Woakes knee, Anderson, with a knee injury, played 5 Ashes Tests and 4 Tests in SA, getting cortisone injections before being rested for the Bangladesh Tests.

[budgetmeansbudget]

And Anderson coming in for Woakes massively weakens the batting line up.

Can't see Anderson having any effect on a pitch prepared for spin, and only partly fit.

[Dr Cricket]

TBH if the pitch suits the spinners It helps the pace men as well.

[Slipstream]

And Anderson coming in for Woakes massively weakens the batting line up.

Can't see Anderson having any effect on a pitch prepared for spin, and only partly fit.

I think he is 100% fit but not match fit. Anderson's bowling seems to suit lower, slower pitches like UAE and West Indies rather than fast, bouncy ones. Unlikely to hit the ground running after 3 months.

Woakes
Home batting 39.66 bowling 22.45
Away batting 24.00 bowling 54.83

I think Ansari will do well with the bat - if they left out Woakes and picked Finn

[budgetmeansbudget]

Not a fan of Ansari from what I've seen so far. But I guess he fits the mould of a bits and pieces cricketer that England favour at the moment.

I just think he's got even less bits and pieces than the other all rounders.

[Slipstream]

Not a fan of Ansari from what I've seen so far. But I guess he fits the mould of a bits and pieces cricketer that England favour at the moment.

I just think he's got even less bits and pieces than the other all rounders.

First you start out as a bits and pieces cricketer and develop into an all rounder. He is only 24 and has about 90 matches to catch up to Ali. Has 3 100s so that's a start.

Ali f/c bowling 40.82
Ansari f/c bowling 34.91

[Making_Splinters]

Further backing up, Sussex's view on Stokes, it's the daftest thing I've heard in a while.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-eng ... 66438.html

[Dr Cricket]

To me the daftest thing is he can't eat while batting and they only really realised now that it could affect him. How did he score runs in SA or Perth, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh.

[Dr Cricket]

Kohli sounds very confident the pitch will turn very early in vizag.
The Indian cricinfo guy wrote a good article that both teams seem happy and confident going to the test, hopefully the test match is competive tomorrow.

[bigfluffylemon]

Can't see the point of dropping a batsman for a bowler if the pitch is going to be a bowling surface. England already have six bowlers and trouble against spin.

I'd keep the same side, or possibly shift Ansari for Anderson. Slightly odd choice, I know, if we're going to get a dustbowl, but I don't see the point of playing a mediocre spinner when you've got one of the world's best fast bowlers.

[Dr Cricket]

Look Adi even Cook doesn't believe the toss is important although he is contradicting him self in the same sentence but then again Cook doesn't have Swann or panesar to be so sure of the bowling attack being ok on a day 1 track.

It appears the toss will once again be vital. While the pitch looked oddly damp on Wednesday and was given a further sprinkling of water, the groundsman has stated he expects it to start turning on the second day. The relatively lush outfield and fresh-looking square will again do little to generate reverse-swing. While there may be a little in the surface in the first session, batting fourth is likely to prove especially demanding.

'The toss is important," Cook said, "but in Mumbai the last time we played here we lost the toss on a turning wicket and we outplayed India. So it is important but it doesn't mean you can't win the game if you lose it. If you go back to our last game in Rajkot, our worst bit of the game was that first 25 minutes when we showed a bit of nerves. Everyone here says the toss is important but if we lose it, it will just be another challenge we will have to overcome."

So baffling how the toss importance stereotype exists considering results suggest it doesn't actually take place.
if the ball is doing something on day 1-3 I don't see how the toss is important, yes teams would like to win the toss, but losing the toss isn't the end of the world like Cook said, only really becomes important on decks like rajkot,

[Dr Cricket]

Lol one cricinfo comment suggest winning the toss will be worth 200 runs, what the guy taking if the toss was worth 200 runs that would mean the side batting first scores around 400 and then suddenly the batting teams struggles to score 200 .
if the ball is turning early no way is the team batting first going to score 200 runs extra most of the time.
no way is the pitch suddenly going to take drastic turn, if the pitch turning on day 2, some help will be apparent on Day 1, literally impossible for a pitch to take help on day 2 especially turn if the pitch isn't conducive to turn on day 1.
literally the vizag pitch will be a rajkot day 4 or 5 wicket.

[Dr Cricket]

Good night folks hopefully England win the toss tomorrow.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Thought it didn't matter who won the toss!

G'night.

[Dr Cricket]

Thought it didn't matter who won the toss!

G'night.

it doesn't that the whole point I want india to lose the toss.
doubt the toss would really matter to india anyway if the wicket like a day 4-5 Rajkot deck considering if they bat first they likely to set a competitive total and be in a position to boss the game and if they lose the toss, Ashwin and co got some help to causes issues for the english batting line up.

Got a feeling arthur tomorrow might be the pitch where 350 is a winning total so your comment or most of the comments here about getting 350 being a good batting effort in the NZ series might be applicable.
I be pretty surprised if a team get 400 here unless the bowling is *modded* or some batsman plays a gem of an innings.
Don't see the pitch deteriorating so it becomes a rank turner and the game finishes in 3 days easily, reckon the game will finish around day 4 and maybe day 5 if the team bat well.
hopefully england bat well, NZ were awful really with the bat they literally made the pitches look like minefields.