India the Test Future?

[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

still no progress on that front, even though he continues to do well in Ranji

[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

and he did do pretty well in the Eng tests

[Red Devil]

So, test future looks like Vijay and Rahul to open. Rahul has a lot to prove still, and you suspect that dhawan would score a shedload of runs in home tests.

Kohli and Rahane both cemented into the middle order now. Rohit probably ahead according to the selectors but I hope Pujara is back in at 3. They should send Raina to play FC cricket in Eng or SA, or even NZ before they consider him for tests. Mandeep singh maybe next in line?

Saha has the gloves for the time being, but I do think they need to give Naman Ojha a go as well - he could be very special as a wicket-keeper batsman, and with our bowlers we really need that batting depth.

In India, it seems like Ashwin and Jadeja / Axar will take 2 of the bowling spots - also gives some batting depth. Outside India, I think we should play ashwin as all-rounder. Bhuvi is a must once he is back to full fitness, and Aaron and Umesh need be given some tough messages about their bowling, and then they need to do some work with coaches etc to help them on accuracy. However, beyond those 3 and then Shami and Ishant, their really don't seem to be many options. On the seam bowling all-rounder front, they really need to send Rishi Dhawan to play abroad or in A squads so that we have an alternative to Bhuvi.

Overall then, it's difficult to be too critical of the selectors because there really don't seem to be too many options at this stage.

[Making_Splinters]

To misquote Bill Clinton, "It's the bowling, stupid."

[shankycricket]

I'd completely forget about Dhawan and Raina as Test cricketers. Rohit is slightly trickier. I'll post more on him in detail later.

Rahul needs to be given a good run in the side, Red. I've watched him bat in domestic cricket and trust me, the guy is a real gem. Probably still a bit raw at this stage despite that hundred (which says a lot) but a long stretch in Asia is the right time to invest in him and we'll reap rewards sooner rather than later. There is no point in going back to Dhawan for the tests in Asia. Unlike you Red, I'm not even convinced he'll succeed in India. He has got issues against offspin as much as swing & seam as his struggles vs the likes of Shillingford and Moeen have shown. Moreover, his FC record isn't that great and he is not THAT young either. We'd be far served investing in Rahul.

I also think Kohli needs to make an early decision on how he wants to mould the composition of his bowling attack. If we want to play 5 bowlers overseas, then the planning for it must start now, which would obviously include finding a keeper batsman who can bat at 6 and we must play 5 bowlers in all conditions. Of course, exceptions can be made in certain cases but the planning must be there. You just can't decide all of a sudden that you want to play 5 bowlers and throw in a token "bits and pieces" cricketer like Binny and expect him to work miracles. I think we should start planning for the 5 bowler option now, not that I'm opposed to playing 6 batsmen in certain Tests but the process of finding the right options for the 5th bowler must begin now and we need a keeper who bats at 6.

On the spin department, I don't think there is any readymade 'answer' in the spin department. The home season allows us to experiment. After the buffet vs Bangladesh, we tour Sri Lanka in August, face SA at home before a possible tour of the UAE to face arch rivals Pakistan. As I said above, I would play 5 bowlers. That would obviously mean playing 3 spinners and 2 seamers in subcontinental conditions. I still don't think Ashwin has the skillset to ever be India's No.1 spinner in overseas conditions. I'm not questioning his effort. He just doesn't have the skill. He has improved his control though, which suggests he could be a useful second spinner and a number 7. Considering we don't have any other worthy offspinning option, he becomes an automatic choice when we are playing 3 spinners in the subcontinent. As for the second spinner's slot, I'd like to invest in Axar Patel, who I think is potentially a better version of Jadeja and could compete with Ashwin for the allrounder's slot overseas. As for the 3rd spinners' slot, I'd experiment a bit more and gamble on an attacking, potentially exciting spinner (preferably a leggie) who could potentially be our no.1 spinner overseas. Playing 3 spinners allows us the room to experiment a bit and we have to be prepared to gamble a bit for the long term sake of the Test team overseas rather than just picking the best XI to win at home. If the experiment doesn't work, we can always go back to someone like Jadeja but I'd like to see us at least try this option out. Of course, winning at home is important and we need to pick a team that is still good enough to win at home whilst still having a long term view to developing a good team overseas and I think this would be the best way to make it happen.

I'll touch on the seam department and Rohit later.

[sussexpob]

I'd completely forget about Dhawan and Raina as Test cricketers.

Shame the selectors didnt in Raina's case, how the hell they could bring him back into the team, and against a pace attack who are quick and can bowl a good short ball.... it was like throwing someone in front of a car

[shankycricket]

Or even Dhawan as an opener with his technique.

[sussexpob]

Or even Dhawan as an opener with his technique.

Dhawan isnt a world beater, but I understand them taking a bit more of a look at him and asking the question "if he knuckles down, can he still be a good opener". The answer is probably no, but I said that about Dave Warner a few years back and now look at him....

Raina we know well, and we know he cant play any form of short ball.... his career was deader than dead, repicking him was an insult to every cricketer currently active in India.

[Making_Splinters]

Or even Dhawan as an opener with his technique.

Dhawan isnt a world beater, but I understand them taking a bit more of a look at him and asking the question "if he knuckles down, can he still be a good opener". The answer is probably no, but I said that about Dave Warner a few years back and now look at him....

Raina we know well, and we know he cant play any form of short ball.... his career was deader than dead, repicking him was an insult to every cricketer currently active in India.

We could say the same about the selection of Gambhir to tour England. It will be interesting to see how this changes as Kohli stamps his authority on the team, he has few ties to the older players who keep popping up for no good reason.

[sussexpob]

Or even Dhawan as an opener with his technique.

Dhawan isnt a world beater, but I understand them taking a bit more of a look at him and asking the question "if he knuckles down, can he still be a good opener". The answer is probably no, but I said that about Dave Warner a few years back and now look at him....

Raina we know well, and we know he cant play any form of short ball.... his career was deader than dead, repicking him was an insult to every cricketer currently active in India.

We could say the same about the selection of Gambhir to tour England. It will be interesting to see how this changes as Kohli stamps his authority on the team, he has few ties to the older players who keep popping up for no good reason.

I personally understood the repicking Gambhir, after all, he did look like a very good cricketer at one point, then lost confidence when his technique was picked at.

[Making_Splinters]

Or even Dhawan as an opener with his technique.

Dhawan isnt a world beater, but I understand them taking a bit more of a look at him and asking the question "if he knuckles down, can he still be a good opener". The answer is probably no, but I said that about Dave Warner a few years back and now look at him....

Raina we know well, and we know he cant play any form of short ball.... his career was deader than dead, repicking him was an insult to every cricketer currently active in India.

We could say the same about the selection of Gambhir to tour England. It will be interesting to see how this changes as Kohli stamps his authority on the team, he has few ties to the older players who keep popping up for no good reason.

I personally understood the repicking Gambhir, after all, he did look like a very good cricketer at one point, then lost confidence when his technique was picked at.

When he was picked to tour England he had shown no signs of returning to his former ways.

[shankycricket]

Or even Dhawan as an opener with his technique.

Dhawan isnt a world beater, but I understand them taking a bit more of a look at him and asking the question "if he knuckles down, can he still be a good opener". The answer is probably no, but I said that about Dave Warner a few years back and now look at him....

Raina we know well, and we know he cant play any form of short ball.... his career was deader than dead, repicking him was an insult to every cricketer currently active in India.

But he hasn't shown any signs of 'knuckling down' though and his FC record isn't much to write home about either. Plus he is not that young. The comparison to Warner is a little unfair. He scored a hundred on a green top, carrying his bat in the 4th innings in only his 2nd Test. I've always rated him, in all honesty. His technique and footwork is definitely better than Dhawan's.

Anyways, I hope the Dhawan experiment is over and Rahul is given a good run in the side.

[shankycricket]

Or even Dhawan as an opener with his technique.

Dhawan isnt a world beater, but I understand them taking a bit more of a look at him and asking the question "if he knuckles down, can he still be a good opener". The answer is probably no, but I said that about Dave Warner a few years back and now look at him....

Raina we know well, and we know he cant play any form of short ball.... his career was deader than dead, repicking him was an insult to every cricketer currently active in India.

We could say the same about the selection of Gambhir to tour England. It will be interesting to see how this changes as Kohli stamps his authority on the team, he has few ties to the older players who keep popping up for no good reason.

Yep, the Gambhir selection for England was a total farce, bordering on disgraceful.

[meninblue]

The BCCI's contract list for 2015-16

Grade A (Rs 1 crore): MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane

In: Ajinkya Rahane

Out: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suresh Raina

Grade B (Rs 50 lakh): Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Rohit Sharma, M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammed Shami

In: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suresh Raina

Out: Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha

Grade C (Rs 25 lakh): Amit Mishra, Axar Patel, Stuart Binny, Wriddhiman Saha, Mohit Sharma, Varun Aaron, Karn Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Dhawal Kulkarni, Harbhajan Singh, S Aravind

In: Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, S Aravind

Out: Pankaj Singh, Vinay Kumar, Manoj Tiwary, Parvez Rasool, Robin Uthappa, Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav

[dan08]

Bit harsh to drop Jadeja to Grade C.