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South Africa vs Australia

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[quote author=Kenny4PM link=topic=47481.msg1455826#msg1455826 date=1325667981]
So whats going wrong for India then?
[/quote]

They seem incapable of buying a win against a decent side since Kirsten left. Makes you wonder what Fletcher does....he doesn't speak to the media as well, so no body knows whats going on in his head...
 
[quote author=kingjulian link=topic=47481.msg1455850#msg1455850 date=1325670027]
[quote author=Kenny4PM link=topic=47481.msg1455826#msg1455826 date=1325667981]
So whats going wrong for India then?
[/quote]

They seem incapable of buying a win against a decent side since Kirsten left. Makes you wonder what Fletcher does....he doesn't speak to the media as well, so no body knows whats going on in his head...
[/quote]

I think he's probably picked the side that most people would agree is the strongest that India could field, so I'm not sure you can simply blame Fletcher mate. It's not like any coach is ever going to start telling the likes of VVS, Sachin, Dravid, Khan, Dhoni, Sehwag and Ghambir how to prepare themselves for a test match (not from what i've read anyway).

*Tries not to look at the batting line-up*

Maybe a few more fresh faces need to be selected sooner rather than later............
 
Fresh faces will happen. It's bound to happen, but i'm not sure Fletcher is the man to get the best out of them, judging by how Kohli and Rahane are going. They are both very good batsmen....Rohit is yet to get a chance.

I think it's a combination of preparation, lack of game plan and motivation, and the coaching team are not doing a good enough job of it. Kirsten was able to get India to draw a series in South Africa, and Australia and win in England and New Zealand. Largely with the same line up and slightly worse bowling.

It's not just about picking the squad..... which is the selectors job...BCCI selectors are actually well played. I think it's too much of a coincidence - this drop in form after Kirsten's departure.

By all accounts (im not really watching the games), it's a typical sydney wicket....hard and dry with the potential to break on the final day. Unfortunately for India, they made a hash out of batting first....so it is unlikely to be a factor, unless there is a miracle (I mean a Sehwag tripple....fat chance, i know considering the way the top order seem to have prepared.)
 
[quote author=LeTallecWiz link=topic=47481.msg1455909#msg1455909 date=1325674757]
Kallis out for 224 ...

He's got to be one of the best all rounders of all time right?
[/quote]

For me...best ever behind Sobers. Ahead of Imran Khan and Botham.

I'm amazed at his longevity....the man is a proper work horse! A true hero!

A batting average of 56+ and a bowling average of 32! He has played 150 tests and is still bowling over 85 mph....whattaplaya!
 
Great match for Clarke innit. Triple and the wicket of Tendulkar when he was trying to dig in for a big one.

Indian team is under heavy criticism from all corners. Gavaskar has slammed them for lack of professionalism as they have skipped a few practice season this tour. I just don't think all is right with the management team.

Since Fletcher took over...They made a hash out of it against West Indies in West Indies. Completely missed the plot in not going for a 2-0 victory by accepting a draw when all they had to do was score 5 rpo for one session, with plenty of wickets in hand. They put on more than 300 runs in an innings for the very first time in Sydney in an away fixture. They seem to have no strategy to get players out. It's going to be really difficult turn things around....i thought it was a blip, but it seems the problem runs far deeper than that.

It's easy to criticize the aging batsmen, but they are the only ones who have put on any runs on the board in this time. It's the younger lot who have not played to potential. But i guess the time is up to open up one slot occupied by the three (Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman) to a new player. Just so whoever is coming in has time to settle. But the good news is that there is a queue of talented players waiting for an opportunity.
 
Haha! You can't keep laying all the blame at Fletchers feet mate.

Quite a few of the players are letting the team down (against a very average Aussie side it has to be said).

How long will Kohli get to come good?
 
Ya....but then what is the job of the coach? The players are culpable, but there are some fundamental mistakes the team is making and the buck stops with the coaching team for that..if not why pay them massive amount of money? In an earlier post you hinted that you can't teach the likes of Tendulkar and Dravid anything and they don't accept new methods etc....i really don't think that's true. They haven't said one word against Fletcher, and Dhoni and the seniors have accepted they need to perform better and you can't blame the coach etc. But as a fan i'm not prepared to give him such a wide berth....fuck me.

Fletcher came to a team that hadn't lost a series home or abroad for two and a half years.....and hasn't been able to buy a victory. When will he be held accountable? Kirsten got a lot of praise for the way India performed under him...and rightly so. On the same token, it is ok to criticize Fletcher.....

He is supposed to be the best batting coach going around, yet the team has scored more than 300 only once in 14 Innings. The people who have performed to remotely acceptable level are the ones that need to hang up their boots in a year or so.

I just don't think he is good enough for the job. He is not able to identify a problem and help the team work towards solving it. Which is the job of the coach. Virat is a good batsman. He is yet to prove he can play well outside of subcontinent, but he has only had very limited chances. He isn't the reason the side are performing poorly. The problem starts with the openers being completely off their game and ends with the bowling attack's inability to make small advantage's count. Even against England in England they had their mini moments....but under Kirsten's tutelage they believed and converted those to winning moments. When Australia were 3 down for nothing....Dhoni went back to defensive fields....i doubt that would have happened under Kirsten. There are many problems, but i think Fletcher is a good place to start addressing them.....what has he done. that is worth giving him more time? I don't mind you defending him....but give me something credible....
 
India easy to break - Haddin

Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has labelled India mentally "fragile" ahead of the third Test.

Australia took a 2-0 lead in the four-match series thanks to a dominant innings-and-68-run victory in the second Test in Sydney.

That convincing win prompted Haddin to declare India were a "fragile side" who "broke quicker than anyone".

Remote Record "We know this side can be as fragile as any team in the world if things aren't going their way," Haddin told Sky Sports Radio.

"And they can turn on each other and the media turns on them pretty quick.

"We knew if we could keep them out there (in the field) and put the numbers like we did on the board we knew we'd get the rewards because they break quicker than anyone in the world."

Haddin's comments prompted India paceman Zaheer Khan to respond by criticising the Aussie's wicketkeeping.

"Well, Brad Haddin, I think he should focus on his keeping, that looked really fragile to me," Zaheer said. "He needs to start moving."

Asked whether mind games had begun again between the two sides, he added: "I think, by the sound of it, it looks like Haddin is appointed for that in the Australian team."

Asked whether Haddin should keep his place in Australia's Test line-up, Khan said: "I think he's doing all the talk... so he's definitely playing his role."
 
At the moment, yes. It was only a year ago, they were winning a lot of close matches in Tests. Anyway, these are just mind games. India are the only side to win the world cup at home in the history of the game....so there is no chokers plague that they need to worry about.


I do agree with some Indian pundits who think both Rohit and Kohli should start at the expense of Laxman, and the three oldies should be rotated such that no more than two are on the pitch at the same time. The time will come sooner than later, when they all will hang their boots up. It's best to prepare well, for a brighter future.
 
Haha...ya.

Wicket Keepers always make great captains. I liked Alec Stewart as a captain as well.

Will AB be donning the gloves in Test Cricket as well? That will immensely strengthen SA.
 
India all out for just 161.

They really are shit outside of India aren't they?!

Maybe India should just retire from test cricket and concentrate on the micky mouse stuff.
 
I think it will take a miracle for them to not go 4-0 down.

It seems they have thrown in the towel and that is rather pathetic. There is no fight.
 
Yeah the talent is there. But the mental make up of the team has been so poor, and it's hard not to point fingers at Fletcher and Dhoni. Wrong decisions and a cavalier attitude has really hurt them.

This is the worst run of results away from home for India since 1961. But i dont think the side is anywhere near that bad to end up with results like that...
 
It's a lot easier to forgive the 4-0 humping they got against England due to injuries, the opposition they played and being just after the WC win etc etc, but to lose 4-0 to this Aussies side would certainly be a lot harder to explain away.

I just hope the Indians make the brave calls needed.
 
I have a feeling Dravid will retire anyway. Being out Bowled 5 times in the series shows he is clearly not the same batsman he was before. Tendulkar still is playing well, and looks the youngest of the three. Laxman is actually the youngest of the three, but out of the three he looks and plays like the oldest of the lot. If not for him standing in the slips all game, he would be a major liability.

It's time to see what the likes of Pujara, Rohit, Kohli, and Rahane have got.....Mukund is a decent player too, but i think he is a level below in terms of quality.

Unfortunately India don't travel again for at least two years, so it's going to be a while before these are properly tested....may be it will give them the opportunity to bed in well.
 
Warner. What an innings. Doubt many have scored a ton after bowling first on the first day of a test.

Humiliating for India.
 
Lets wait to see what he does against a decent bowling team outside of Oz. Granted the top was green but India are. a terrible bowling outfit. His other tons came against these and NZ no?

Looks shit hot but to me he looks like a player who will get out for a handful or change a match in a couple of hours. Like Kevin Pieterson.
 
Fair enough. I'm actually English, and happy enough for him to fail, but I've seen most of his First Class Innings, and he looks to be able to compile slowly or explode, or both as required. He will be big.
 
Ind vs Aus: Australia thrash India by an innings and 37 runs to seal series

Australia routed India by an innings and 37 runs inside three days on Sunday to seal a crushing 3-0 series victory against the hapless tourists.

At Perth's WACA Ground, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni were out before lunch and Australia cleaned up the tail for 171 soon after the break to complete their third simple win.

It was the second Test in a row the tourists had been beaten without Australia needing to bat twice, having been smashed by an innings and 68 runs in the second Test in Sydney.

Despite a gritty batting performance by their most inexperienced batsman, Virat Kohli, the last man to fall for 75, it was another shoddy batting display by the tourists, whose abject display has caused consternation at home.

The Indians resumed at 88-4, needing another 120 runs to make Australia bat again, and Kohli and veteran Dravid briefly revived their hopes with a dogged 84-run stand for the fifth wicket.

However, the loss of Dravid (47) and skipper Dhoni in quick succession before lunch had Australia closing in on victory. The end came quickly after the resumption, with yet another insipid performance by the Indian tail.

Swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus' incredible resurgence continued when he claimed three wickets in four balls after lunch, before Peter Siddle had Kohli caught behind to seal the win.

Hilfenhaus (4-54) claimed eight wickets for the match to have 23 wickets in the series at 16 apiece.

Kohli, who also top-scored in India's calamitous first innings with 44 as the tourists were dismissed for 161, before Australia made 369 on the back of David Warner's explosive 180, had been fighting his way towards his maiden Test century in his seventh Test, but received no support aside from Dravid.

Dravid's once-famed 'wall' defence was again breached by Ryan Harris, who knocked the 39-year-old's leg stump out of the ground.

The delivery didn't do anything significant off the pitch, but found the gap between bat and pad, ending the veteran's vigilant innings after 177 minutes and 114 balls.

It was the fifth time in six innings in the series that Dravid had been bowled, and his average for the series of 28 is well down on his career average against Australia of 52.62.

Dravid has now been bowled more times in Test cricket than any other batsman - 54 times.

Dhoni again failed, caught in the slips by a diving Ricky Ponting for two from the bowling of Peter Siddle, and the skipper has made just 102 runs in the series at 20.40, with 57 of those runs coming in the first innings in Sydney.

Dhoni has not made a century in 13 Tests against Australia.
 
That India team needs to have a long hard look at itself. World class names going through the fucking motions. Apart from Yadav, every single one of them has been a major disappointment and to get (most likely) humped 4-0 in succession by England and Australia with that array of talent says an awful lot for their woeful attitude.

Australia have some decent talent there, but there's now way they're continually an innings better than them.

Dave Warner FTW BTW.
 
What Ryan said...word for word.

Although the senior players and the captain himself has to take a large share of the blame, every single player has actually let the team down. The two best performers have been fresh faces Yadav and Ashwin. Tendulkar has played below par, but he is still the leading run scorer for India in this wretched serious. Kohli seems to be slowly finding his feet. Those are the only positives that could possibly be taken from this tour so far.

They have played well below their potential...there is no denying that. The attitude and mentality is the problem, and as Ryan said they need to take a long hard look at themselves. If they are more interested in the money on offer from the shorter format games, then they should step aside and let others who are more hungry to take the centre-stage.

Also...i really would like to see Fletcher sacked. The man doesn't even have the stomach to face the media when the results are going against him, and he has left Dhoni with everything to do. It was very evident from the sound-bytes emerging from the players pre-game that they had lost the plot. It would be helpful for someone to step in and take the pressure off during a period when players are having a tough time on the field. It is reported that he has been working extensively with Dravid on his technique in covering against the inswing. The result: Dravid has been out bowled 5 out of 6 times!!! Excellent work, i say!
 
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