Oz tour of India, Feb 9 - March 22

[Durhamfootman]

Aussies are favorites imo to win this.

not anymore

[meninblue]

Aussies are favorites imo to win this.

not anymore

65/2 to 113 all out. Reminds me of Pakistan batting order collapses. Only something like that could help us win the test batting last on Indian wicket after opponents were having a good lead with 8 wickets left. Unbeleivable gift. Pleasant surprise.

India now need only 27 runs with 7 wickets intact.

[Durhamfootman]

All over. Easy win in the end

England on the rise, Australia on the slide....... normality restored

[meninblue]

Aussies are favorites imo to win this.

not anymore

65/2 to 113 all out. Reminds me of Pakistan batting order collapses. Only something like that could help us win the test batting last on Indian wicket after opponents were having a good lead with 8 wickets left. Unbelievable gift. Pleasant surprise.

India now need only 27 runs with 7 wickets intact.

Totally agree with Pat. Wasted opportunity. Even a touring A Side should look to win in this situation with opponent having to bat last on Indian wickets with a significant lead position. This is an international team. He has summed it well in the last 3 sentences during post match interview..


Pat Cummins: I thought 260 was a decent score in the first innings. The guys bounced back well. But India batted well, just 1-2 partnerships and you can get to that 260 mark quite easily. In the innings break, it was all even. Disappointed, we were ahead of the game but we slipped. We need a review on what could have been done different. (On batters getting out to sweeps) Everyone controls their own game, some balls just have your name. But we need a review on the shot choice, did we do things right? Both games were disappointing, this one in particular. We were ahead in the game and that doesn't happen often in India. This loss hurts.

[meninblue]

Hope KL Rahul is dropped at least now,. Rahul Dravid is getting lot of blame for keeping this non-performer in the squad. Obviously there must be sponsor pressure or pressure from higher ups. Rahul is lucky to have played 47 tests with an average of 33. Probably one of the worst specialist test match Indian batsman to have played so many tests. Also he is over 30.

Shubman who is 23 is kept out for this non-performer. He probably wont average as bad as KL Rahul if he plays till 3O years in tests. Totally biased selection. There are others too who deserve a chance ahead of Rahul.

Sachin played well past this sell by date, so did Dhoni. But they were Indian Legends and atleast deserved a bit of support. KL Rahul was not great even for an year or two in test. Why is he getting treatment that legends got. Is Karnataka lobby at work? Rahul Dravid who is current coach is also from Karnataka. Next thing he will do is drop Srikhar Bharat and ask KL Rahul to keep with gloves to save his position. That could well happen. Seems like he will do anything to save his place. Quota system was got rid off many years back, but probably only on paper. Seems ,like it still exists. This selections are rubbish and personally there is no point watching even one ball of test matches India plays - i haven't watched one, just been checking scorecards to save time rather than watch this team with undeserving players filled in squad.

[meninblue]

Rohit Sharma said "We are backing Rahul, he has the potential, you need to find a method to score runs in these pitches, again we are not going to look too much at what an individual is doing, we look as a team, that is my thought on Rahul".

Rahul Dravid said "We will continue to back Rahul, these kind of situations happen to any player, he has scored hundreds in SA, ENG & all".


Seems like Rahul Dravid and Rohit are in no mood to drop KL Rahul. Typical old story. Now Rahul will score a ton on some batting friendly wicket and secure his place for many more years. What a gem these selectors are. Team India loses on time to groom much better potential batsman who are in queue. Such a great selection vision.

[mikesiva]

India 118-4

Rohit 31
Pujara 31*

Lyon 2-49

India win by six wickets.

[GarlicJam]

Aussies are favorites imo to win this.

not anymore

They never were.

They were in their best position so far to do so, but no, they were never favourites.

The last couple of years has seen the Aus team performing ok, a little bit of bashing the lesser teams, and somehow got themselves to the top of the rankings.
I always thought that was very quickly, and possibly unjustified, knowing that a reckoner was on its way - our bowling line-up has been pretty good, but the batting always a bit flaky, and held up by Smith and Labuschagne.

I did not expect the awakener to be so swift, so alarming.

[Durhamfootman]

I think it was Smith who said that for him an India series was bigger than the ashes. I don't know how this has played out in Australia, but if they'd lost 2 games against England in this fashion, I'm pretty sure that the public mood would be palpable and heads would already be rolling

[bigfluffylemon]

I think it was Smith who said that for him an India series was bigger than the ashes. I don't know how this has played out in Australia, but if they'd lost 2 games against England in this fashion, I'm pretty sure that the public mood would be palpable and heads would already be rolling

To be honest, not much attention gets paid to overseas tests that aren't the Ashes, despite Smith's comments. They aren't covered on FTA, and there isn't ball-by-ball on the main (non-internet) radio stations as there is with the home tests. They are at awkward hours (although India isn't too bad). Only the die-hards follow it.

There is a bit of hand-wringing in the press this morning, but I guarantee it'll be all but forgotten by March.

[sussexpob]

Playing in India at the moment is historically difficult, and statistically as hard a challenge as has ever existed in cricket. Talking about heads rolling seems a more than a little silly to me.... to beat India in a single test at home requires a pretty faultless team, and to beat this team in a series at home, you'd need a generational XI with no weaknesses.

[alfie]

Aussies are favorites imo to win this.

not anymore

They never were.

They were in their best position so far to do so, but no, they were never favourites.

The last couple of years has seen the Aus team performing ok, a little bit of bashing the lesser teams, and somehow got themselves to the top of the rankings.
I always thought that was very quickly, and possibly unjustified, knowing that a reckoner was on its way - our bowling line-up has been pretty good, but the batting always a bit flaky, and held up by Smith and Labuschagne.

I did not expect the awakener to be so swift, so alarming.

Yes I think you have summed that up rather well , Garlic. Smith and Labuschagne are obviously top class bats (and the fact that Smith is having a bit of a 'mare on this trip really hasn't helped !) but the rest of the batting strikes me as either past its best ; home track dependant ; or just not that good. Bowling has been the big strength but when conditions and injuries mean you can only play two of Cummins Lyon Starc and Hazlewood that rather dissipates...

Did think they might do a little better than this though. Selection and game plans seem a bit muddled - and I can't help thinking all that media-driven nonsense about the pitch for the first game might have got in their heads a bit. Hard enough playing India in these conditions : totally impossible with scrambled minds.

[sussexpob]

I think you can linger on anything you want, blame individuals and what not.... the fact is, India average 435 per innings in India for over a decade, which is quite frankly absolute madness in the context of not only test cricket in this era (where scores are falling) or in the context of any era. Bradman's post WWII Australia managed 48 per wicket, but maintained that for a couple of series over a just over a calendar year, and against a test side who had two of their starting bowling line up killed in WWII. If I could be bothered, I am sure I could isolate a similar 10 test run inside the last decade where India have scored more than that. And to note, Bradman's career span gives only 38 per wicket average to Australia, which is far lower.

I mean, think about that for a minute. Steve Smith is quite some distance the best bat in India out of tourists who have played more than one match in that decade - he averages 52 in tests in India. Even if you had the luxury of 7 Steve Smith's in your top 7, you'd need more than 71 runs (or 18ish average from the tail)... just to be on PAR with India's average complete home score.

I think at some stage we just need to accept that India at the moment are one of the toughest prospects to play in any sport, at any time. As I said above, to think about taking a series off them is verging on fantasy unless you have some generational XI.

I mean, Australia have won 2 series in 50-60 odd years I think in India, one of which was around the time they had their greatest team. The idea that anything other than an absolutely brilliant team is going to win anything, in an era where India have reached another level completely in their own play.... I just don't see it. Maybe over a one off game, but over a multiple game series.... ill give you 1% chance.

If Australia lose anywhere else, or to anyone else.... maybe some deep questions need to be asked. But getting thrashed in India is just normal... no need for sole searching.

[bigfluffylemon]

If Australia lose anywhere else, or to anyone else.... maybe some deep questions need to be asked. But getting thrashed in India is just normal... no need for sole searching.

I think DFM was talking of the manner of defeat. It's not that Australia lost. We expected that. More that Australia have now collapsed to dismal totals several times and looked completely clueless against spin. So much for the number 1 team in the world - an accolade developed by beating up on weak teams at home...

But your point is well made. India's home record since the start of 2018 reads P18 W16 L1 D1. They are as close to unbeatable at home as it gets. I looked up Bradman's invincibles in the 1940s, the 1980s West Indies and the early 2000s Waugh/Ponting Australia. The former two had unbeaten streaks lasting 5 years at home, but had a higher % of draws than India has had in the last five years. Waugh's Australia had a W/L record at home of around 12 in the early 2000s. So India at home are currently up there with the all time greatest sides to have played the game.

Although statistically, I did find one harder challenge in that time, just to be contrary - beating Australia women in ODIs. Their records since the start of 2018 is P42, W41 L1...

[sussexpob]

Although statistically, I did find one harder challenge in that time, just to be contrary - beating Australia women in ODIs. Their records since the start of 2018 is P42, W41 L1...

The inequality in the woman's game makes this record feel about par, and hardly that impressive. India's woman for instance earn at the lowest 1000USD per year on their central contracts, and even the highest earn slightly below the average wage. Woman's sport throws up ridiculous records at the moment across the board, where you have small amounts of fully professional sides sharing top facilities, playing teams that are basically part-time amateurs who have day jobs.

MY local football side for instance professionalised their womans team last year, and they scored 140 goals in a period of 6 matches. Not sure if its fair to call them the "best team" ever as a result. Give all the same teams the same facilities, as they had the year before, and they were no better. They played in the 3rd tier for ages, but 6 months of full time work, they annihilated 1st tier Anderlecht Women 37-0 in a friendly.