India the Test Future?

[Making_Splinters]

2015:





2020:




2025:

[HarryPotter]

If he is still one of the best 6 batsmen in India, why would that be bad?

[andy]

HP, they should start phasing the greats out, because otherwise if they all go at once, then they will be left in a mess.

[HarryPotter]

They should, but they can play the best 4 or 5 batsmen in Tests and ODIs and still have 1 or 2 places for new players. There is a balance and if a 40 year old is the best player he should play.

[dan08]

Rahul Dravid is likely to announce his retirement tomorrow as he is holding a press conference in Bangalore.

[andy]

shame as i thought he should have been last of the big 3 to retire, however hopefully it will promopt vvs to retire.

[meninblue]

Rahul having called a press conference, it has to be about retirement. A huge loss for Team India as he has always been one of the best technical batsman in contemporary cricket. No wonder he played well in adverse conditions. Off course he started to fall on the leg side in last two years, and not judging the off stump balls properly in last year of his career. Even then he scored tons in few of the series in that year. To replace him with someone else having as good a technique, temperament and shot selection (test matches) is a very very tough job and we have to take chance that one of the newbies might even be 75% of Rahul's abilities in those aspects. The technique , temperament, shot selection was seen on his debut tour of England but currently i do not see any newbie with those qualities as Rahul showed when he started his career. There is more reliance on hope now rather than certainty.

For the think thank he is a loss because he was a crucial part of it being a senior member and vast experiences of playing in different countries and different bowlers. Sachin and Laxman will have to provide more of those inputs now, be it team meeting or on field decission making by Dhoni.

As a fielder he has dropped lot of catches in the slips, even though he is the worlds highest catch taker. The success ratio of his catching is low than what other fielders with lesser catches (eg Kallis, A B D , Jonty , Mark Waugh, Ponting etc ) have .

Now that the time has come and he has decided to make a decission we can't help but just be positive about replacement converting chance to a good career.

[Dilbert]

The technique , temperament, shot selection was seen on his debut tour of England but currently i do not see any newbie with those qualities as Rahul showed when he started his career. There is more reliance on hope now rather than certainty.

Pujara.

Unfortunately, he got injured at the wrong time and post injury hasnt been at his best in domestic cricket.
I still feel he should be selected and given a fairly longish run, while Sachin and VVS are still around, he will definitely be a star.

[ddb]

shame as i thought he should have been last of the big 3 to retire, however hopefully it will promopt vvs to retire.

No way, that was always going to be Sachin due to the last 5 years.

[meninblue]

The technique , temperament, shot selection was seen on his debut tour of England but currently i do not see any newbie with those qualities as Rahul showed when he started his career. There is more reliance on hope now rather than certainty.

Pujara.

Unfortunately, he got injured at the wrong time and post injury hasnt been at his best in domestic cricket.
I still feel he should be selected and given a fairly longish run, while Sachin and VVS are still around, he will definitely be a star.

I feel Ajinkya will be given the first chance to replace Dravid (if he retires from both ODI's and Tests tomorrow). He like Dravid is very good on the leg side and the fact that Sehwag - Gautam have sealed the openers slot, Ajinkya will have to be eased into No3. Ajinkya played attacking strokeplay when he first came for Mumbai. However, later on he curbed the strokeplay and started playing slowly.

Pujara IMO will get be the next man in, in the test squad.

[andy]

Rahane or Pujara for me.....

Or Kohli up to 3 and then one of them at 6......

didnt pujara bat 6 agianst australia?

[shankycricket]

A good read this though a bit premature IMO. With the Indian team management you can never be sure.

www.andy-bloxham.blogspot.com/2012/03/i ... 6.html?m=1

[rich1uk]

any particular reason you linked that on this thread shanks ?

seems an odd place for it

[shankycricket]

any particular reason you linked that on this thread shanks ?

seems an odd place for it

Because that is Fists' article

[rich1uk]

ok ...

i dont really get why you feel it needs linked here , its not like his opinion is any more valid than anyone here and given hes made it clear he doesn't want to contribute to this site then why bother with his blogs