IND vs NZ 2019 - India Down Under NZ Tour

[kiladi bullodu]

sharma ji back into squad

kottabhothunnamu

[Kool_SRG]

1 hour ago, timmy said:

 

What's been India's biggest selection blunder of the year?

4:48 PM

• ESPNcricinfo staff

On their tours of South Africa, England and Australia in 2018, India have made several debatable selections in their playing XIs. Virat Kohli, the captain, and Ravi Shastri, the coach, have tried to pick sides for specific conditions and have given importance to recent form over reputation, but their choices have not always paid off. Which of these decisions do you think was the biggest mistake?

1

 

Two spinners on a green-top

 

1.5K

Votes

 

 

Kuldeep Yadav had troubled England's batsmen with his left-arm wristspin in the limited-overs leg of the tour, and after R Ashwin took seven wickets in the first Test, India decided to go in to the second with two spinners. But they had completely misread the conditions at Lord's, where cloudy skies and a green pitch assisted swing and seam. England's spinner, Adil Rashid, did not need to bowl a single over in the Test, as their four-man seam attack knocked over India twice. India, meanwhile, had to make do with just two frontline quicks and allrounder Hardik Pandya's seam bowling. Neither spinner took a wicket, and India lost by an innings and 159 runs, by far their biggest defeat of the year.

 

2

 

No Pujara at Edgbaston

 

1.1K

Votes

 

Cheteshwar Pujara signed with Yorkshire in early 2018 with the intention of preparing for India's tour of England later in the year. But his poor run of form in the County Championship got him dropped from the XI. M Vijay and KL Rahul both got fifties in India's warm-up game against Essex, perhaps an explanation for their inclusion, and Shikhar Dhawan was included despite getting a pair in that game, probably because India wanted a left-hander in their line-up. All three failed at Edgbaston. Pujara returned for the rest of the series and got a fifty in India's win at Trent Bridge and a century in Southampton. By the end of the year, Pujara was back to being a fixture in India's XI. Dhawan was dropped, and Vijay and Rahul have been struggling to keep their place in the team.

 

3

 

Rohit over Rahane in South Africa

 

1.1K

Votes

 

Ajinkya Rahane had been India's most consistent performer overseas alongside Virat Kohli before the tour of South Africa, with an average of 48.59 in the SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries. So, despite a slump in form, it was expected he'd be a certainty in the XI for the first Test, in Cape Town. However, India decided to go with Rohit Sharma instead, with Virat Kohli citing recent form as the reason. Rohit played the second Test too, but was dropped after scores of 11, 10, 10 and 47. Rahane played the third Test, in Johannesburg, and made a crucial second-innings 48 on a treacherous pitch.

 

4

 

Four seamers at Perth

 

932

Votes

 

India have gone into a Test without a frontline spinner just three times in their history, and two of those occurrences have been under Virat Kohli's captaincy. After a five-seamer strategy worked in Johannesburg, Kohli chose to go with four frontline quicks and no spinner on what looked like a green pitch at the new Optus Stadium in Perth, seemingly ignoring forecasts that the pitch may crack up later. R Ashwin was ruled out with injury, but there were conflicting reasons cited for why Ravindra Jadeja was not involved. Kohli said the team felt the pitch would suit four seamers while India coach Ravi Shastri later said Jadeja was not 100% fit. Kuldeep Yadav was also in the squad, but not considered. What made the XI for the Test even more debatable was that Umesh Yadav was selected as the fourth seamer ahead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose away record is stellar. The decision left India with a long tail, with no one from No.8 down averaging more than 12 in Tests. The tail crumbled in both innings, Umesh was expensive and Australia's spinner, Nathan Lyon, took eight wickets in the match, leaving Kohli to face plenty of questions on selection after India's loss.

 

5

 

Bhuvneshwar left out at Centurion

 

926

Votes

 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had been India's best bowler in the first Test of the South Africa tour, taking three wickets within his first three overs on the first morning. But on a dry pitch in Centurion, he was left out for Ishant Sharma. Virat Kohli's explanation was that he expected inconsistent bounce and felt Ishant's height would be an advantage. Jasprit Bumrah, just one-Test old, and Mohammed Shami, who had been a bit erratic in Cape Town, were the other two frontline seamers. India lost the Test and went down 0-2 in the series. Bhuvneshwar returned for the third Test, at the Wanderers, and was Man of the Match in India's win.

 

6

 

Half a spinner on a turner

 

683

Votes

 

After going down 0-2 in their five-match Test series in England, India won at Trent Bridge, getting them back into the series. The fourth Test was at the Rose Bowl, one of England's friendliest venues for spinners, and with R Ashwin having picked up a hip injury in the third Test, many expected India to field Ravindra Jadeja alongside him. Virat Kohli himself predicted spin, particularly out of the footmarks, would play a major role in the Test, and when England named Moeen Ali as a second spinner in their XI, speculation grew that India would go down the same route. However, Virat Kohli decided to go in with an unchanged XI for the first time in 39 Tests, meaning a hampered Ashwin had to bowl 37 overs in England's second innings. He was not at his best and took just thee wickets in the game. Moeen, meanwhile, took nine wickets in the game and was Man of the Match.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/25607107/india-biggest-selection-blunder-year

 

@Kool_SRG see the vote pattern  in the link above. over 70% of people think India will get the selection wrong (8000+ voted till now)

22% Yes, 78% No 

11516 Votes.. 

 

[Pakshi_Raju]

@bulbul_fruit

[Aakupaccha_caradu]

asalu easy draw ayyedhi, shami gadu wickets tiyakapoyntey. simple logic missed y blame umesh or batting??

[timmy]

Jadeja was fit when picked for Australia tour - MSK Prasad

 

Ravindra Jadeja goes up in appeal Getty Images

10:24 AM

• Sidharth Monga in Melbourne

MSK Prasad, India's chairman of selectors, has added to the intrigue around the non-selection of Ravindra Jadeja in the Perth Test by saying Jadeja was "absolutely fit" when picked for the Australia tour. He neither confirmed nor denied if he was apprised of Jadeja's fitness by the team management.

India went into the Perth Test without a spinner, a selection that was widely criticised by former players, including Sunil Gavaskar. Virat Kohli said he picked four quicks because the conditions demanded that, and that even a fit R Ashwin would have struggled to make it to the XI. However, coach Ravi Shastri said Jadeja was not picked because he had not been 100% fit. Shastri said Jadeja had taken an injection just before he flew to Australia, and four days after landing in the country. He also said Jadeja was only 70-80% fit in Perth before going on to add he would be picked in Melbourne if he is 80% fit. Jadeja was named in India's XIfor the Boxing Day Test.

"On the eve of any selection meeting, the selection committee is given a fitness report of all the players," Prasad told reporters in Melbourne. "In that report, Jadeja was absolutely fit. So we picked him. After we picked him, he went and played Ranji Trophy also, he bowled 60 overs [64, against Railways]. So there is no question of him being unfit at the time of selection."

Prasad was asked if he was aware of Jadeja taking the injections before and during the tour, but he was non-committal. "Yes, it is a process," Prasad said when asked if he was aware of the first injection. "Whenever a health issue comes up, we have a group in which it is being placed."

Asked about the second injection, Prasad said: "All that is looked after by the physio, and they have very clearly given it in the statement."

The statement being alluded to is the BCCI media release, which said Jadeja was given injections on November 2 and November 30. However, whenever the BCCI updated the media on the fitness status of players, Jadeja was never mentioned. Even when asked if all other players were fit, when there were doubts around Ashwin and Rohit Sharma, there was no response.

The diagnosis and handling of injuries by India has come under fair bit of criticism. Prithvi Shaw, who had twisted his ankle in the warm-up game, stayed around the team for two Tests before he was sent home, which arguably denied Mayank Agarwal acclimatisation time. Agarwal is set to open the innings in Melbourne. In England, Bhuvneshwar Kumar aggravated an injury in an ODI right before the start of the Test series. He is yet to play a Test after that. Wriddhiman Saha, who according to Prasad, missed out on England selection because of a thumb injury, has now sat out the whole year with what actually was a pretty serious shoulder injury.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/25610611/ravindra-jadeja-was-fit-picked-australia-tour-msk-prasad

[Kool_SRG]

India drop both openers; Jadeja plays; Mitch Marsh recalled

The MCG Boxing Day Test is always an eagerly anticipated occasion, but this year it feels like there is an added edge. The series is poised at 1-1; the stump mics have been turned up; Australia are finding their voice again; Virat Kohli isn't taking a backward step and there is grass on a Melbourne pitch. It has the makings of a Christmas cracker.

If India can bounce back from their Perth defeat and register victory they will have retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy. If Australia take the honours again it will mark a significant upturn in their fortunes at the end of a year of turmoil and no little disgrace. And if it's a draw let's hope it's a thriller and not like last year.

The pitches in this series have provoked much discussion and Melbourne's 22 yards has been at the forefront of everyone's attention for days. Last year the surface was marked "poor" by the ICC after the drab Ashes stalemate and this Test, under the management of a new curator, feels like a significant moment as an iconic ground tries to repair its reputation.

These two teams have shown that when there is some help on offer for the bowlers they can produce compelling cricket which makes for a wonderful spectacle. The contest between bat and ball has been excellent in Tests throughout 2018 and it would be nice to think it will end that way.

The unknown qualities of the pitch - despite the evidence of this season's Sheffield Shield matches - left both sides with thinking to do over their XIs. India won't admit it, but fielding four quicks in Perth was a mistake - another one in a year of selection blunders - but it doesn't have to prove terminal for their hopes in this series. They started 2018 hoping to create an overseas legacy for themselves and this match will go a long way to deciding if that happens.

Form guide

(last five completed matches)

Australia WLLDL
India LWWWL

In the spotlight

After an unconvincing performance in Adelaide, Aaron Finch shaped up much better under testing conditions in Perth. However, the nasty blow he took on the finger in the second innings curtailed his knock and on return he gloved his first delivery down the leg side. He has looked comfortable in the nets leading into the third Test - which would be his first Boxing Day in the baggy green - but that dodgy digit is certainly a target for the India quick bowlers. Unless the pitch is really slow and low, and everyone hopes that isn't the case, Finch will surely get some short deliveries early on.

India's selections away from home this year, especially in England and Australia, have been the subject of significant criticism. Ravi Shastri said all that is being ignored - on this tour because they were in a different hemisphere - but while some calls may have been 50-50 others, such as those made in Perth, were more clear errors. There are a number of issues to resolve for Melbourne and their XI will also bring much scrutiny.

Team news

Mitchell Marsh has been recalled at the expense of Peter Handscomb, whose technique has been worked over by the India quick bowlers, but it's also the overs Marsh can provide which have been factored in on a surface that could yet change character.

Australia 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Marcus Harris, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Shaun Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Tim Paine (capt. & wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood

India have dropped both their openers - 97 runs between them in eight innings - for the Boxing Day Test. Mayank Agarwal is set to get his debut with Hanuma Vihari moving up the order from his No. 6 station. R Ashwin has not recovered fully, which means Ravindra Jadeja has come in as part of the four-man attack. Rohit Sharma, though, is back to fitness, slotting in at No. 6. India have resisted the temptation to bring Hardik Pandya right back in.

India 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Hanuma Vihari, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 Rishabh Pant (wk), 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

Rated "poor" last year, the pitch has been the topic of much conversation. Having tried various lengths of grass in the Sheffield Shield, it appears more rather than less will be left on in an attempt to give the surface some life. Could it even be green enough to encourage a team to bowl first? The weather may play a part in how the surface develops with hot, sunny conditions forecast for at least the first four days.

 

[Aakupaccha_caradu]

evadra ee MSK prasad Hanuma Vihari ni selecting

[Aakupaccha_caradu]

not even 1 player from Hyd or TG, Dhaga & Kutra

[Kool_SRG]

KL Rahul & Vijay both Dropped  kottabothunnamu  @kiladi bullodu

[Kool_SRG]

4 minutes ago, Aakupaccha_caradu said:

evadra ee MSK prasad Hanuma Vihari ni selecting

 

3 minutes ago, Aakupaccha_caradu said:

not even 1 player from Hyd or TG, Dhaga & Kutra

Evarunnaru babu ippudu HYB nunchi consistent ga aadevaallu... Rayudu is playing for HYB now.

[Kool_SRG]

6 minutes ago, Kool_SRG said:

India 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Hanuma Vihari, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 Rishabh Pant (wk), 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

 

So Opening Mayank -  Vihari/Rohit/Pujara... My vote it could be Pujara.

 

Ravi Ashwin inka recover kaala batting gurinchi ani Jadu ni, better should have gone with Kuldeep since jaddu isn't fully fit.

[kiladi bullodu]

18 minutes ago, Kool_SRG said:

KL Rahul & Vijay both Dropped  kottabothunnamu  @kiladi bullodu

chusa

Hanuma Vihari as an opener is not a long-term solution - MSK Prasad

 

veediki clarity leadhu

 

[kiladi bullodu]

17 minutes ago, Kool_SRG said:

 

So Opening Mayank -  Vihari/Rohit/Pujara... My vote it could be Pujara.

 

Ravi Ashwin inka recover kaala batting gurinchi ani Jadu ni, better should have gone with Kuldeep since jaddu isn't fully fit.

my vote id for Rohit 

but looks like Vihari is going to open

[Kool_SRG]

25 minutes ago, kiladi bullodu said:

chusa

Hanuma Vihari as an opener is not a long-term solution - MSK Prasad

 

veediki clarity leadhu

 

 

24 minutes ago, kiladi bullodu said:

my vote id for Rohit 

but looks like Vihari is going to open

 

Pujara is better equipped i feel... 

[perugu_vada]

I think kohli gadiki full rights icheyatam tho puppy’s aipoyaru everyone else, andhu k vaalla stmts lo clarity ledu, okkodu okko stmt isthunadu