India the Test Future?

[shankycricket]

No idea about Dhawan tbh. Like Rohit, he should get the NZ series to make his case. Whether he'll make it, I haven't got a clue but we don't have options really.

And agree that Rahane now deserves to bat ahead of Rohit in Tests.

What do you think about Dhawan btw?

[andy]

Zaheer looked toothless against SA, i think his time is pretty much up...am i the only one who thinks this?

[shankycricket]

Zaheer looked toothless against SA, i think his time is pretty much up...am i the only one who thinks this?

Not at all.

[Red Devil]

Zak may do ok in NZ and Eng where there is a bit more movement but you'd hope that we won't need him with Bhuvi, Shami, Umesh and Pandey hopefully all proving their worth shortly!

Dhawan seems to be fading, maybe the sucess got to him, or maybe he is just not suited to tests outside India. If he fails in NZ it will give us a problem. Maybe get Jaffer back for the Eng series!

[shankycricket]

Dhawan has always been inconsistent in FC Cricket (look at his fc record) so his struggles in the Test arena don't really surprise me. He needs to improve his backfoot game to have any chance in Tests overseas.
Mukund also has faded away.

KL Rahul and Jiwanjot are the two young openers doing well this season. Jiwanjot had a great season last year as well, so he'd seem the logical choice but those who have seen him bat say he is incredibly limited (hitting full tosses straight back to the bowler, etc) and I don't think you can afford those type of players at Test level, as admirable as some of his other qualities might be.
So KL Rahul would have to be my choice. His FC record was modest before this season but he's always been rated highly. Has a very compact technique from the little I've seen and the penny seems to have dropped and the big scores are coming in FC cricket this season. He has also been mentored on a personal level by Dravid, so I'm hoping he has inherited some of the traits of his mentor.

[andy]

Red- if Dhawan fails in NZ then, Rahane or Pujara up to open, with the other one at 3....? Rahane is good to bat as low as 6..

[shankycricket]

Rahane should bat at 5 in NZ to begin with. I won't consider moving Pujara from 3 under any circumstances. If Dhawan fails in NZ, then either move Rahane up to open (I'd like that but I don't think he wants to open) or invest in a young opener. Won't go back to Jaffer. Even Gambhir would be a backward move. His runs in Ranji have dried up ever since he was left out of the squad for SA and his record in England is atrocious, be it in Tests, ODIs, T20Is or for Essex in county cricket last summer.

[Red Devil]

Red- if Dhawan fails in NZ then, Rahane or Pujara up to open, with the other one at 3....? Rahane is good to bat as low as 6..

I really don't want Chet moved from number 3 - they should just leave him alone. Rahane is a maybe, but tbh i prefer him at 5. There aren't really any alternatives though so maybe, especially if Rayudu or Rohit can do well in the lower middle order

[meninblue]

Rishi is having yet another outstanding season in ranji.Having proved for two successive seasons, i think we can consider him at least as replacement of Ishant.Also, being from the same zone, the North zone selector panel would not mind about replacing Ishant with someone from the same zone.

[andy]

will be a big series for Bhuneshar in england. Has looked out of form for a while and has faced critcism with some saying that he can't bowl with the old ball...if selected for the england tour he really has proving people wrong to do..

[Red Devil]

Rishi is having yet another outstanding season in ranji.Having proved for two successive seasons, i think we can consider him at least as replacement of Ishant.Also, being from the same zone, the North zone selector panel would not mind about replacing Ishant with someone from the same zone.

If only we could pick the squad, but i suspect the selectors will not agree with us

[Red Devil]

will be a big series for Bhuneshar in england. Has looked out of form for a while and has faced critcism with some saying that he can't bowl with the old ball...if selected for the england tour he really has proving people wrong to do..

tbh I'm expecting him to go really well in NZ and Eng, at least in the tests

[andy]

if he gets back into the side..

[Red Devil]

if he gets back into the side..

He should be able to make his case in the warm up games, if we have any!

[andy]

i agree pitches should be perfect for him, but the selectors seem obsessed about getting Zak in the side, and i think they should move on from him..