India in West Indies

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First test starts in Antigua and Ind has had as good practice as they get these days

dunno exactly what antigua pitch will be like.....in genral WI pithces are slow, and aiding spin these days....

India has two decisions to make

1) Who is the 2nd opener.....given that Vijay is first?

Form and technique would make KL Rahul the front runner and gets my

2) Who is the 5th bowler....it's certain Ind will go with 5 bowlers

Ishant
Yaadav
Mishra
Ashwin are a given


the 5th is likey to be Jadeja ( who goot some runs) and wickets also....and frontrunner...unless pitch is green and seaming

and Binny if it is Green and seaming

although India shhould have brought Pandya in place of Binny


likely 11
1) Vijay
2) Rahul
3) Pujara
4) Kohli
5) Rahane
6) Saha
7) Binny/ Jadeja
8) Mishra
9) Ashwin
10) Ishant
11) Yadav

Batting isn't very solid....but they bat all the way down to No.9

I would prefer KL Rahul , followed by Binny....even as a batsman Binny is better than Rohit.

I think Kohli will want his 5 bowlers..
Binny is like Braithwatte as a bowler...and i think will do a reasonable job as a 5th bowler

Rohit shouldn't com into the frame at all, the first reserve now has to be Rahul. Perhaps they look at him as a top order reserve, but I think they should consider him as the first batting reserve in any position. On a green track, if India would need Pedestrian Binny's bowling, then they would have no chance...... The seamers did a good job on a track that gave them good bounce, with more on offer, the 3 of them should be able to do the job. And if they need a 4th seamer who can bat, then it has to be Bhuvneshwar Kumar coming in for Mishra. Bhuvi can certainly bowl, and he has shown that he can actually be a capable lower order bat in challenging conditions. And in both departments at the top level, he is and will be better than Binny. And if Bhuvi is picked, Kohli will actually have his 5 bowlers.

hmmm....but rohit and Binny will come into the frame...that's why they are in the squad.

on a seaming pitch ashwin / Bhuvi at 6 or even 7 is too high......binny will bat at 6 and bowl 10 overs in a days.

I wish they had either of karun nair or shreyas Iyer in the squad in place of rohit

Think they have to be decisive. Either they get the 6th batsman, a proper batsman at that. And going by current form and ability overall, it has to be KL Rahul. But if they want 5 bowlers including a 4th seamer, then it has to be Kumar, because they haven't picked Pandya, and Binny is neither a batsman nor a bowler. Bhuvi is a proper bowler and he can bat. Binny will be a safety first selection not in the Kohli mold, and it will surely backfire on them. If the West Indies go in with Either Joseph or Cummins to support Gabriel, they will make short work of Binny the batsman, and his military medium is not going to trouble anyone. Kohli looks at his bowlers as wickettaking options, not just a fill-in bowler who can bowl 8-10 overs....... A filler would be needed on a track on which the team can expect to be staying on for more than 4 sessions. On a green track if this WI lineup is to last that long, Binny's pies would be a laugh for the batsman, and in that case, the attacking legspin option would be much better.

msp83 wrote: Binny will be a safety first selection not in the Kohli mold, and it will surely backfire on them. If the West Indies go in with Either Joseph or Cummins to support Gabriel, they will make short work of Binny the batsman, and his military medium is not going to trouble anyone. Kohli looks at his bowlers as wickettaking options, not just a fill-in bowler who can bowl 8-10 overs....... A filler would be needed on a track on which the team can expect to be staying on for more than 4 sessions. On a green track if this WI lineup is to last that long, Binny's pies would be a laugh for the batsman, and in that case, the attacking legspin option would be much better.

naah...Binny is a proper batsman.....if given a run he will average 35ish as a pure batsman
His bowling is better than that of Amarnath, shastri and at par with some specialist medoum pace 125-130kph owlers who have played for india

in his last test match for India....he played a decisive hadn with the bat and the ball....49 runs and 2 wickets

0 49 49 2 73 1 0 v Sri Lanka Colombo (SSC) 28 Aug 2015 Test # 2179

Rahul will play for sure.....and hope he nails his spot forever with a hundred

kohli wants 5 bowlers....yeah....but we need some me who cana put runs on the board.

CI wrote:M Vijay has been ruled out with the thumb injury he sustained when he was dismissed on the first morning of the first Test. He played no further part in the match. KL Rahul will slot into the XI in his place. A testing-looking pitch may have sown thoughts of playing an extra batsman at No. 6, but Virat Kohli indicated India would continue with their five-bowler strategy, and said a second spinner may still be required for India to take ten wickets in the second innings.

India(probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 R Ashwin, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Umesh Yadav

Good opportunity for Rahul though Vijay's loss is a big one for India. The bowling lineup might be unchanged, and if at all Kohli wishes to have a change, hope it if Bhuvneshwar for Mishra.

WI win the toss and bat first ...they bring in cummin for braithwaitte and not blackwood.
Ind play same team except rahul is in.

Now indian seamers must maie it count on what's a green seaming pitch

West Indies win the toss and are going to have a bat as the 2nd test is just about to get underway. They have brought in pacer Miguel Cummins, in place of all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite. Rather harsh on Brathwaite, when he has scored half-centuries in all the 3 tests that he has played so far, including a fighting effort in the 2nd innings of the series opener. When the likes of passengers like Rajendra Chandrika are carried by the side for no good reason, when Jermaine Blackwood has been struggling to put bat to ball in recent times.......
KL Rahul comes in for the injured Murali Vijay, the only change from India, meaning they retain their bowling combo of 3 seamers and 2 spinners.

An entertaining first session. Movement for seamers, turn for spinners, bounce for all bowlers, 4 wickets, plenty of shots from Jermaine Blackwood! 88 runs 4 wickets! Of course India does walk with the honors at the end of the session as Blackwood, after scoring a run-a-ball 62 was given out LBW to Ravichandran Ashwin in the last over before lunch.

West Indies started disastrously, losing 3 wickets for next to nothing inside the first 6 overs of the innings. Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo were dismissed by Ishant Sharma of consecutive balls, and then Shami got Rajendra Chandrika couple of overs later. Then came Blackwood, went after everything he could hit, smashed 4 6s and scored 80 percent of his runs in boundaries. Samuels on the other hand took an eternity to get his first run, and has played with lots of discipline it has to be said. Spin was introduced within the first hour, and both Ashwin and Mishra got the ball to turn and Ashwin in particular was getting good bounce as well. Just as West Indies seemed like restoring a bit of parity, Blackwood got out....... It was a very close call in a DRS-less series, the ball was just about shaving the leg stump as it turned big. But there was another close caught behind which looked like a decent case of out going against the Indians too.

Test cricket is best to watch when a batsman is counterattacking on a track that has some life for the bowler!

Poor start from Ishant after lunch, offering back-to-back hit me balls and Samuels obliges gladly!.

Ishant has been rather ordinary after a fine start. Far too many balls not making the batsman play, and far too many no-balls. Did bowl a couple of good ones in between, but he has been poor overall after that double strike early in the innings.

Ashwin's been right on the money though, and he has added the important wicket of Samuels after lunch. He's been flighting the ball well, getting it to dip and turn, and got Samuels with a fine delivery right after Samuels hit him for a 6.
Dowrich and Chase fought a bit in the 2nd innings of the last test, they have to do it yet again, and for a longer period of time if the day is not to be come a total wreck for the home side.

No more fight from Dowrich here, Ashwin gets his 3rd. WI sliding down further, 128-6.
There is no Carlos Brathwaite to provide any lower order resistance today, so all down to the last recognized batsmen, Chase and Holder. And when his turn comes, Devendra Bishoo is unlikely to go without a fight.......

Umpire Ian Gould is having a horrendous time out there! 2 edges in 2 balls, both not given!. What is it that he's been drinking of late!?

Thought I had my share of watching substandard test umpiring for the day in the Lanka-Aus game, Gould has come clearly with the intention of proving that wrong!

And bloody Gould again! This time denies Mishra an LBW. On top of the 3 edges he missed earlier! Pathetic!

Cummins and Gabriel having some fun, a slogging competition between the 2 quicks, and along with some entertainment, a bit of a push to the WI score towards semi-respectability!

So West Indies bowled out for 196. Ashwin finishes with 5-52, his 18th 5for in 34 tests....... Shami bowled even better than his figures suggest as he finished with 2 wickets. Mishra took the last wicket, thankfully it was a skied catch at cover so that Gould couldn't embarrass himself any further!

So kohli stuck to his combination of same 5 bowlers.
I didn't watch....it appears ashwin was getting sharp turn in the first session of D1 itself of a green seaming pitch.

There' were umpiring howlers against india I read.
But there were howlers against lanka also even with DRS this morning.
If you have low IQ low commonsense umpires , they will find a way to create a howler any how.

kl rahul must go on to complete his 100 tonight.
He has had a strange career....team management keeps dropping him out even when he gets big scores.
Destiny invariably puts him back through injuries to other two openers

And if Pujara can still not score here .....he should be the one under the scanner in T3

KPF, in fact both Ashwin and Mishra were getting sharp turn, and Ashwin in particular was using the bounce on offer to great effect. The comentators were wondering whether it is going to turn throughout or is it down to the moisture on the track. Ashwin was just bowling wonderfully well.

Didn't watch most of Rahul's knock, but he was on to a very confident start. Played some pleasing shots at the start of the innings, taking on both the WI fast bowlers as well as the backup of Jason Holder.

6 tests...3 hundreds for Rahul and counting the 126 yet n.o he still averages 38
implies when he doesn't get a hundred he goes in single digits

Pujara scratches his way to 46 off 160 balls only to run himsefl out.

Rahul must convert this to a double hundred today

Has Pujara ran himself out of the playing side for the next game as well? With Murali Vijay set to return, who will have to go? Dhawan or Pujara?
I seriously like Pujara. He's got a fine temperament for test cricket. Shikhar Dhawan is not an all-condition batsman, struggles against swing and seam and isn't consistent.
But Pujara just doesn't look right. As Sanjay Manjrekar was saying on commentary, even after that epic bat carrying 145 in Sri Lanka, Pujara the batsman hasn't quite been liberated. He doesn't play his shots, doesn't look confident, and the little technical issues that he does have are having a rather exaggerated impact.
Will the old Pujara return with 1 good innings? Or does he need some time out?
With KL Rahul finding his way, there is no threat of Rohit Sharma being picked and a spot being wasted either. As such, think they should send Pujara back to domestic cricket to get back in shape if he can't come good soon.
Hope he does play the next game and that nothing drastic would be required.

India in no particular hurrey even after Captain Kohli came in. And there is no need for the same though the game just isn't entertaining at all. Not suggesting defensive cricket isn't entertaining, but it would be valuable only when there is a challenge. This just very ordinary yet defensive bowling and the batsmen aren't trying anything to force the issue. The bowling lacks skill, they are trying to make up by very defensive lines and field. The batsmen, knowing they have plenty of time, are not taking any chance. Good strategy, but borring cricket.

The West Indies, through their era of decline, had never been borring. Initially they had Lara and Walsh, who are among the greats of the game, and even after 2007 there was Gayle, Chanderpaul with his determination, the likes of Samuels and the younger Bravo playing some class knocks, Taylor, Roach, Fidell Edwards and even Tino Best who've had their moments with the ball.
They now are a totally borring side with the ball, and the batting collectively just doesn't have the skill levels to play at this level.

India 259-2 at tea. KL Rahul has just brought up his 150! This is how you grab an opportunity!! Whenever he has gone pass 16 in tests, he has converted it into a hundred! Brilliant conversion rate!

After not taking the new ball when Kohli was still new at the crease, when KL Rahul was approaching his 150, when tea was round the corner, Jason Holder took the new ball after tea.
The lad has a good temperament as a player, and has decent skills as a lower order bat and a 3rd change seamer. But he's not a leadership material, and isn't doing enough to secure his place in the side. Carlos Brathwaite is much better as an overall all-round package. Think they should make Kraigg Brathwaite captain and let Holder earn his place in the side. I don't know about Brathwaite's leadership abilities, but other than Darren Bravo, he's the only player who could really earn a place in the playing 11. And think he has some leadership experience at the age group level.

And why-oh-why, are the Indians playing a 4 test series here?

And now Miguel Cummins goes off the field injured, mid-way through his over.

Nearly 60 overs bowled in the day, and India haven't even added 150 runs in the day yet. There is no need to push things as they are already in a commanding position, but think of people who are following the game! I know if they can adapt this ruthlessness to games against proper test teams, that would be of great help. But This is hard to watch....... Intentless, defensive batting against substandard bowling.

India doesn't have too many free stroke makers .......dhawan and Kohli are about the only ones who can take the bowling apart from the world go.......Rahane and Rahul are moderates...need time to get set....
Pujara and Saha are stone wallers who crawl.....saha can atleast keep wickets....Pujara's place is under risk.

India was in a wiining position already by end of D2....now they are getting towards an innings win positions

After some stubborn resistance from Roston Chase, Jermaine Blackwood and Jason Holder, with some significant assistance from the weather helped the West Indies into a draw in the 2nd test, the series resumes today as the 3rd test is about to get underway in an hour or so.
The pitch is expected to have bounce and some pace, so there are chances of some changes. West Indies have finally dropped Rajendra Chandrika who never looked anywhere close to test class and never deserved a place even in this current West Indies side. Leon Johnson, the reserve batsman in the squad from the first game would take his place, meaning Shai Hope, the wicketkeeper batsman who scored a ton against the Indians in the practice and who has been recalled to the squad will have to wait for his chance. As young Roston Chase managed to outball led spinner Devendra Bishoo, West Indies might play another seamer, it could be young Joseph, or a return for Carlos Brathwaite the all-rounder.

As for India, the big question is about the makeup of the top 3. Murali Vijay, India's 2nd best test batsman over the last 2 years and the best Indian test opener since Virender Sehwag is back to fitness, KL Rahul who stood in for him scored a big ton last game and Shikhar Dhawan scored a fighting 84 in the first test. Cheteshwar Pujara saw India through a tricky session on day 1 of the series and has been turning in middling performances since his fabulous batting carrying effort in Sri Lanka and has the 2nd highest average in the current lineup. Who will play? Who will miss out? That is a big question.
Kohli's pre-match interactions suggested Pujara might just retain his position at 3 and it is a call among the 3 openers for 2 positions. He talked about how Rahul took his injury provided chance for RCB when Mandeep Singh got injured. But if they decide to bench Vijay, that would be a very disappointing and stupid call. Dhawan can play his shots on flat tracks, even managed to survive a spell of fire from Gabriel on the first day of the series and scored 84. But he has been far too inconsistent throughout his career and has serious technical issues. Between him and Vijay, it has to be Vijay any day, particularly as the track is expected to be quick and bouncy. Rahul reminds me of the Australian Marcus North. Its either a ton or nothing from him! The lad unlike North is good with his technique, has a range of shots, and is the future....... Think they just have to go in with Vijay and Rahul, and Pujara at 3.
But Pujara soon has to liberate himself and score some runs, simply surviving a tricky session is not enough, you need to put the runs on the board...... If he fails here, perhaps the 3 openers can play in the top order for the next game with Rahul batting at 3.

Absolutely appalling from Kohli. His Delhi mate Shikhar Dhawan is retained over Murali Vijay, and even more terrible, Rohit Sharma gets a chance over Vijay and Pujara. Can anything be more atrocious?
Jadeja in for Mishra and Bhuvneshwar in for Yadav, Kohli ensuring in the batting department that looks very brittle.

And Dhawan lands the first blow on Kohli as he gloves one down the leg side for 1. The skipper, knowing Rohit will be a walking wicket at 3, promotes himself.

Young Joseph bounces the Indian captain out for his first test wicket! And Rohit is still shielded from the quicks and the new ball as Rahane comes in at 4.
Serves Virat right!!

msp - as an Indian fan, are you able to understand the dropping of Vijay? Are there any disciplinary issues or anything?

I can understand Rohit for Pujara (though disagree with the call) but Vijay has been India's best Test match batsman, alongside Rahane, for a couple of years now. Leaving him out looks an extremely odd call from a non-Indian perspective.

If someone put together a World XI and had Vijay in it, he wouldn't appear out of place. Count me flabbergasted as to the decision

James100 wrote:msp - as an Indian fan, are you able to understand the dropping of Vijay? Are there any disciplinary issues or anything?

I can understand Rohit for Pujara (though disagree with the call) but Vijay has been India's best Test match batsman, alongside Rahane, for a couple of years now. Leaving him out looks an extremely odd call from a non-Indian perspective.

If someone put together a World XI and had Vijay in it, he wouldn't appear out of place. Count me flabbergasted as to the decision  

Hi James, forget flabbergasted, I am downright upset and appalled. For the first time I wanted Virat to faile, particularly when he followed-up the stupid call on Vijay with shielding the joker and coming in at 3! Rohit has showed in the past that he can score test runs against the West Indies, his skipper would badly need him to do so today to save himself from more egg on the face.
Jadeja for Mishra, Kumar for Yadav, and dropping Pujara all can be justified though not all would agree with them. But the call on Vijay was downright atrocious and pathetic from a management point of view. Not the best way to support your leading players.

Anyways, KL Rahul gets his first test 50! Bad time for him to break his pattern of converting anything more than 16 into a hundred! India went to lunch at 87-3. Only 23 overs bowled in the session as West Indies went in with 3 quicks and Jason Holder.

Rohit Sharma, despite being shielded and protected and rapped in wool, has yet again failed and left captain Kohli look like a complete idiot that he exactly is in this context!
Can Ashwin perform with the bat here? Coming in at 92 -4, with Rahane the only recognized batsman left, he has his task cut out! West Indies on top of the game for the first time in the series. They have gone for a more aggressive approach, picked a proper bowling unit, and on a track with a bit of life, they have India on the mat! Of course with some help from Kohli the Clown!

Runs coming at a premium for the Indians after lunch. Rahane and Ashwin not being able to keep the scoreboard moving, even Roston Chase the offspinner is going at 1 an over!

The first session, despite the early loss of Dhawan and Kohli, India kept the scoring rate at a decent level. They lost Rahul and Rohit either side of lunch, and since then they have been scoring at 1.5 an over, just another 20 minutes to tea.

Rahane has hung in there, but he has looked far from his solid self. Has been playing nothing shots at too many balls and getting beaten. He's not trying to attack them, not leaving them with confidence either, just fishing and getting beaten........ But he has managed to stay in there so far....... And Ashwin's been missing out even on a couple of full-tosses

Ajinkya Rahane, never in real control, eventually fell minutes before tea as he missed a full-toss to be bowled. A session that produced 43-2 in 29 overs, West Indies totally dominating India. Like their captain at selection, the team really seems clueless and obnoxious in their approach and performance.

Hope they would come out more positive after tea.

India continue to bat without intent. Just the 14 runs in the first 10 overs after tea. Since lunch they've added 57-2 in 39 overs. The pitch is a good sporting one, nothing extraordinary for the bowlers poor selection and some even poorer batting from India.......

And Ashwin now caught of a Gabriel no-ball. Hope Sir Ravindra Jadeja, when his turn comes, wouldn't adopt the general approach after lunch. His defensive game isn't good at all, he just has to play his shots so long as he lasts.