India the Test Future?

[Arthur Crabtree]

These are openers over the last two years. Sehwag is quite prominently placed there.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine ... pe=batting

[Arthur Crabtree]

He is the star of home conditions.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine ... pe=batting

And is ordinary, no worse, away.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine ... pe=batting

[ddb]

This is the important one:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine ... pe=batting

Phil Hughes > Sehwag

Or like including SA tour:

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine ... pe=batting

[braveneutral]

In your one ddb (first one)... notice Strauss and Watson are far worse...

[ddb]

All that innings was, the first time he applied himself since the world cup. Meh. All he's done recently in tests is taint his record that had kinks in it anyway.

Indeed, but to say that he is gone as a player is a bit much. Viru averages over 50 in Tests still which is good for an opener.

Test career averages

Viru: 50.93.
Strauss: 41.98.
Katich: 45.03.
Smith: 49.42.
Gayle: 41.63.

Ok, he has had a bad chunk but that is impressive viewing all things considered...

I think he's gone as an opener, you can give him his wish to play the middle order. He had a chance to prove this year, he could play in Aus/SA/Eng. If he had, he would have been a great in all eyes. He didn't. Is it a coincidence that we had no settled openers in England and lost. Had one successful opener in SA and drew. Had none in Aus and got thrashed?

Sachin and Dravid have been opening the innings basically.

[ddb]

In your one ddb (first one)... notice Strauss and Watson are far worse...

So? No excuse for averaging under 30, wherever you are playing.

[braveneutral]

In your one ddb (first one)... notice Strauss and Watson are far worse...

So? No excuse for averaging under 30, wherever you are playing.

Just saying, no one is clambering for their removal from Test cricket...

[ddb]

In your one ddb (first one)... notice Strauss and Watson are far worse...

So? No excuse for averaging under 30, wherever you are playing.

Just saying, no one is clambering for their removal from Test cricket...

I'm not clambering for Sehwag's either. Just giving an opinion...

[braveneutral]

In your one ddb (first one)... notice Strauss and Watson are far worse...

So? No excuse for averaging under 30, wherever you are playing.

Just saying, no one is clambering for their removal from Test cricket...

I'm not clambering for Sehwag's either.

You may not be... but others are!

Also, I hate that I am becoming Sehwagfan...

[Arthur Crabtree]

If Strauss had got out playing the shots that Sehwag has, there would be more pressure on him.

Obviously, Sehwag has been a better player over his career.

Didn't realise that Watson was so off the boil.

[Red Devil]

The problem is - we know he will be lethal at home but we will have a problem when we have to play away again - SAis next away tour I think. So, do we play Rahane/Mukund to try and have him ready for the away series - or do keep Sehwag and just focus on trying to win the next 11 tests at home.

At this stage, I think I'm opting for trying to win the home series, cos if we don't do that then we really are in big trouble.

[braveneutral]

The problem is - we know he will be lethal at home but we will have a problem when we have to play away again - SAis next away tour I think. So, do we play Rahane/Mukund to try and have him ready for the away series - or do keep Sehwag and just focus on trying to win the next 11 tests at home.

At this stage, I think I'm opting for trying to win the home series, cos if we don't do that then we really are in big trouble.

[ddb]

That's how we've got in this situation. Players perform at home, we extend their rope. Laxman averaged 99 at home vs WI. Dravid went 4 years before 2011 without an away hundred apart from Bangladesh. Hundreds at home kept him in.

[braveneutral]

That's how we've got in this situation. Players perform at home, we extend their rope.

I think that is not a specifically Indian problem though, a lot of countries allow one good performance to give their players a stay of execution...

[Red Devil]

That's how we've got in this situation. Players perform at home, we extend their rope.

So do we not pick our strongest test team at home, and thus risk losing at home?

or should we have slightly different teams for home and away. We recognise conditions by chaning bowlers and playing 2 spinners at home but only one away - why not have a different opener for away tests?