England Versus India - 1st Test (9 Nov - 13 Nov)

[dan08]

Sky bet reporting 60% of the money on the series is on india winning 5-0 and suspect that the case for all the betting agencies.
Really can't see how england will nick a test or win 2.

I'm wondering if to go for 5-0. Any chance of a draw some time?

[backfootpunch]

Sky bet reporting 60% of the money on the series is on india winning 5-0 and suspect that the case for all the betting agencies.
Really can't see how england will nick a test or win 2.

I'm wondering if to go for 5-0. Any chance of a draw some time?

Only if it rains for 2 days or every off spinner in india gets injured

[hopeforthebest]

I get the feeling that playing the Bangladesh series before going to India has backfired badly on England, I'm sure that whoever thought it up saw it as a good warm up for a superior England team who could move onto India with the confidence of just having won in Asia. Sadly that expectation was not achieved and England arrived in India a badly beaten team. Based on their performance in Bangladesh this is the worst England team we've seen in a couple of decades and even managing a draw against India will be a significant result. One has to wonder if Cook's captaincy hangs on the result of this series and his own personal performances.

[Dr Cricket]

Times reporting that cook will resign after the series.

[hopeforthebest]

The BBC are reporting that BCCI are threatening to cancel this test unless the supreme Court end the freeze on their bank account.

[Gingerfinch]

Any ideas what our team will be?

I'm guessing Ballance might be dropped, with Duckett dropping down to four, or three? Broad will also come back of course, with three spinners, but which ones?

[Dr Cricket]

The BBC are reporting that BCCI are threatening to cancel this test unless the supreme Court end the freeze on their bank account.

Got to the stage where you have to see it happening before you can believe it will happen.
Not sure anyone takes the threat seriously, went on Twitter if there any reaction none what so ever with the press reporting hameed making debut instead.
It is really empty threats at the moment.

[hopeforthebest]

Any ideas what our team will be?

I'm guessing Ballance might be dropped, with Duckett dropping down to four, or three? Broad will also come back of course, with three spinners, but which ones?

I fear Ali and Rashid will be there but it's a toss up between the experience of Batty and the left arm of Ansari. I would go with Ali, Batty and Ansari.

[Dr Cricket]

seems like england will play Finn and 2 spinners tomorrow, not sure I would do that considering the 4th seam option is awful and can't actually bat either.
especially with them needing every run they can get with india batting till 9, with one of jadeja or saha batting at 9.

[Dr Cricket]

Seems like india will go with the extra seam option of Pandya.
Gambhir
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Pandya
Ashwin
Saha
Jadeja
Yadav/Sharma
Shami

the likely team tomorrow, although mishra could play as well.

[Dr Cricket]

Sky bet reporting 60% of the money on the series is on india winning 5-0 and suspect that the case for all the betting agencies.
Really can't see how england will nick a test or win 2.

I'm wondering if to go for 5-0. Any chance of a draw some time?

TBH Rajkot and Vizag the likely place, although Vizag will turn quite a bit so probably a result there and they reporting Rajkot to be flat, but I can't really see it at the moment, does look dry and crack already in place so the ball might turn a bit on day 1.
I get the feeling on the first 2-3 days the pitch will play good for india, helping there spinners and batsman to score runs, but tricky conditions for the english batsman and bowlers.
crucial toss for England, not sure they will enjoy bowling on Rajkot, but not sure india will mind since they probably got the bowlers to get wickets on this pitch on day 1.

[Dr Cricket]

the ironic part for Haseeb Hameed is that he probably making a debut at his second home.
family from gujarat and near Rajkot as well, wonder if his family will make the trip to the stadium, think I read he also got some relatives in india as well.

[hopeforthebest]

Seems like india will go with the extra seam option of Pandya.
Gambhir
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Pandya
Ashwin
Saha
Jadeja
Yadav/Sharma
Shami

the likely team tomorrow, although mishra could play as well.

Cric info reprted some time ago that Rahane was being rested from the first two tests along with Rohit. Is that rubbish?

[Dr Cricket]

That is rubbish, think you meant Bhuvneshwar kumar you been rested for the first two test.
Rahul missing the 2 test as well.

Also find it funny many pundits are expecting majority of the pitches to be flat, will be surprised if india struggling to take wicket in the first innings and on the first day its self.
considering how much the past captains and coached have moaned about 500-600 pitches, i be very surprised if india struggling to take wickets ever in india.
plus the fact the captain want to remove the importance of the toss, I be very surprised if england ever score more than 450 in an innings, india might get more than that but that will be down to the english bowlers being awful than the pitch being a road.

Really struggling to find a test match in india that was an absolute road, even Nagpar in 2012 wasn't a road, was very slow and was meant to be a rank turner as well with india playing 4 spinners.
You really have to go way back to 2012 Ahmadabad test where pujara, Sehwag scored plenty in the first innings, probably the only game in recent times that was a road and even then Dhoni and the indian players hated the pitch.

[Arthur Crabtree]

So, Haseeb in for Gary Ballance. Team according to cricinfo.

1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Haseeb Hameed, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Duckett, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Gareth Batty