This current Indian side is

[Anonymous]

BLOODY AVERAGE!

I really hope that none of you are suddenly believing that India is cricket's new power. I think it has more to do with you than them.

India have been consistently mediocre for several years now with the exact same players they currently have. Infact, the current team is severely weakened.

They have been without
Sehwag
Khan
Agarkar
Tendulkar
Singh
Kumble
Kaif

At various times, and still competed with and even beaten you.

Just look at the teams they have been putting out.

Patel opening the batting!? Give me a break.

Gavaskar, Bhadani, Balaji, Pathan, Kartik, Nehra?? Face it, these goes are nobodies, debutantes, or just plain average players. The bowling attack they have been putting out lately is incredibly inexperienced. The middle order with Gavaskar, Bhadani, and Yuvraj is similarly ordinary.

Your bowlers have been making goodish players like Laxman (couldn't even make the world cup squad, nearing age 30 with an average in the 20s) and Yuvraj (good young talent but only averaging 30-odd) look like world beaters when they simply are not. Laxman only scores runs against you.

They do have some excellent one-day players- Tendulkar, Dravid, and Ganguly. But three players don't make a team and this is why India have been, and still are, only about the 5th or 6th best team in the world, as indicated by the rankings (although they have of course gone up because they've competed with you :roll: )

 

[Doctor]

Pathan is good for a 19 year old (or is he 18?). A similar style to Wasim Akram.

Yuvraj Singh blasted a massive century against us the other day - I think we're in trouble if he is considered "ordinary".

I disagree with the notion India are still the same side they were before - they have lifted a notch, Laxman has re-emerged in One Day Internationals and they finally have Ajit Agarker doing something besides getting out for Golden Ducks.

I have every reason to think they will be cricket's next power - they have an explosive batting line up and indeed a bowling attack that is not hopeless. Certainly their bowling is the biggest worry, but I've seen some of the youngsters yet to emerge in international cricket and they are not doing too bad.

Australia are still the number one side, but teams like India and New Zealand are not that far behind - South Africa bowled the Windies out for 50 odd the other day. So there is some healthy competition there.

 

[Twizzle]

Thierretically Henry.....................that is the most intellegent post you have ever made.

Didn't think you had it in you, apart from the not so subtely disguised Aussie bashing, it actually makes sense.

Some of us have been calling for peoples heads, particulary Martyn and Harvey.

All the stat men (including Punter) keep saying that we're winning, so why change.

If you can't see a form slump in the Aussie team you are not watching the games closely enough.

I agree Ozwin, that Laxman has lifted, but we have let him. His record against us is better than against any other country. Not taking anything from Laxman, he is in rich form, but his average againts the Zimbots this season is much lower than against us. We still have not worked out where to bowl to him.

India's attack will stop them from climbing too far up the world rankings.

 

[Anonymous]

Yuvraj Singh blasted a massive century against us the other day - I think we're in trouble if he is considered "ordinary".

I disagree with the notion India are still the same side they were before - they have lifted a notch, Laxman has re-emerged in One Day Internationals and they finally have Ajit Agarker doing something besides getting out for Golden Ducks.

Singh's century proves my point, not yours. He has never played like that before, so you have to think that it had something to do with the bowling.

Ditto Laxman. He has only "re-emerged" against you. Agarkar has always been a well performed ODI bowler.

I reiterate, I don't see how you can possibly claim that they are crickets next big thing. Almost all of the players succeeding on this tour are players who have been around for several years now.

A final word on Laxman- if you think Martyn has technical flaws with his batting you should watch this guy. He rarely if ever moves his feet much, and always takes a half stride towards the ball, regardless of what kind of delivery it is- it's the only foot movement he is capable of and he plays almost every shot off the front foot and away from his body. Sustained line and length bowling will get him every time and short pitched bowling at his body will invariably keep him quiet.

Perhaps, if you want your team to really succeed, you should even consider doing something about your pitches?? I'm certain the feather bed belters dished up game after game help the flat track bully Indians (Laxman is the best example in the cricketing world of a flat track bully- he is hopeless in seaming conditions) more than they help Australia.

 

[Mr Angry]

Crappy bowlers, been there problem for a long long time.
They can bat, although our bowling has not been great either.
I would rate them the 2nd best batting team, but simply do not rate there bowlers.

 

[Bobby DIGital]

We'd belt India tomorrow.

 

[Iafeta]

I don't quite agree on Yuvraj Singh. The first time he played against Australia in a pressure cooker situation he scored 81 off 81. I think he was like 18 at that age. It was a glorious innings. We shouldn't lose sight of his age when judging his crudentials, or the fact he is playing in the middle order behind Ganguly, Tendulker, Laxman and Dravid - often the job of the Indian middle order is to not play the big innings but play the quick innings and add tempo to the start. I don't think we should lose sight of the fact he's only 22, and batting with the tail of the Indians a lot. I think he's a very good player who adds a lot to their depth.

Irfan Pathan has a good knack of swinging the ball, I think he does have a future. Laxman has just come off an excellent test series against New Zealand, and has a phenomonal record in domestic cricket so to say he only scores against Australia is a slight aborration of the facts. Yes, most of his centuries have been against Australia, but he has dug in in lesser roles before. His star will continue to rise, his hands are too wristy, the eye far too visionary for him not to rise.

The one thing I cannot believe though in this VB series is the lack of an inspired leader. I'm not talking about individual performances, we know Punter, Ganguly and Streak perform well for their respective teams - but the lack of a Stephen Fleming planner. Fleming would have worked a lot of these players out by now. In some respects, Damien Martyn is paying for Fleming working him out a few summers ago. How was he dismissed at Adelaide? The way Fleming showed how - he can't help but hit aerially into the gully. He would have expected an easy beat series then, which would have had his average up another 2 or 3 which would have relieved pressure, but Fleming worked him out. The field placings are all so regulation, apart from the Martyn dismissal there's no traps set in the gully, or midwicket, or covers. Its all the same old, same old. Thats why these players are continually benefitting, because there is not a smart enough tactician at the helm to work a player out.

 

[Red Bear]

The main problem is that India have an excellent batting lineup and our bowling hasnt been up to scratch. Our best spinner is suspended, Our best quick is injured, Brett Lee was bowling very well i thought until he injured himself against Zimbabawe and he hasnt been able to bowl as well since he came back, and Gillespie plays a few tests and gets injured unfortunately. We are used to having Mcgrath and Lee fit, Bichel coming in when Gillespie breaks down and Macgill doing a decent job when he plays. However, weve had to use new blood this series at what is the worst possible team to do this against with their batting line up and we've been suffering. Our batting has also lacked discipline at times.

 

[kaon]

We'd belt India tomorrow.

That's why you finished last in a series featuring these two sides a couple of months ago. :roll:


Australia is still number 1 and the challenge to that rank will certainly not come from across the Tasman.

 

[stormboy]

India are definately on the improve - sure their bowling has a lot to be desired but there batting in both forms of the game this summer has been if not better than Australia's

 

[Anonymous]

The fact that this Indian side is still comepeting and beating us (on one occassion anyway) is a credit to the national selectors

 

[Bobby DIGital]

We'd belt India tomorrow.

That's why you finished last in a series featuring these two sides a couple of months ago. :roll:


Australia is still number 1 and the challenge to that rank will certainly not come from across the Tasman.

We were far from full strength then. We still aren't and we belted pakistan 4-1. We also beat India to a pulp last summer. Lions at home pussy cats abroad...

 

[weasel]

Underrate the Indian side at your peril. If Australia hadn't turned up to the World Cup India would have won it as easily as we ended up doing so. Apart from their dismal performances against us they dominated as much as we did.

 

[Iafeta]

We'd belt India tomorrow.

That's why you finished last in a series featuring these two sides a couple of months ago. :roll:


Australia is still number 1 and the challenge to that rank will certainly not come from across the Tasman.

I think its fair to say that in more than 50% of the recent games between New Zealand and Australia, Australia has in the match been under severe pressure at one point or another. Usually Michael Bevan has got them out of it. So to think the Kiwis are cannon fodder is an uncertain risk. Damien Martyn would have thought the Kiwis would be easy, but Fleming out thought him. How many test series have Australia gone without bowling a team out once - last time against the Kiwis was one.

I think the Pakistan one day series showed something to New Zealand fans - an increased awareness of singles and fielding, which they executed superbly, is that extra 10-20% needed to beat quality opponents. Those 50% games have been closer than 10-20% swings, due to the methods John Bracewell employs, and the fact New Zealand has the most innovative skipper on the world stage, New Zealand could well turn a few heads in years to come. Taking them lightly would be a perilous move. Considering also possibly their best batsman in Astle, their best bowler in Bond weren't in the team and still manhandled a full strength Pakistan side shows things are looking up.

I would be interested to see just how close an ageing Australian side, and an ethusiastic fielding side from New Zealand in two or so years would be. I think it would be closer than some Australians clearly would give credit to. Undoubtably Australia are the best team in the world, no one doubts that, but as you've seen without McGrath and Warne, playing without your two best bowlers is not always easy - a situation New Zealand has found itself in all too regularly over the past decade. Two full strength teams in a prolonged series would be worth the price of admission.

 

[Anonymous]

I reiterate, I don't see how India are on the improve. The players performing are the same players who have been performing for several years now, and India have been consistently average throughout that period. This is the first away series in years in which they haven't struggled. At this point there's no reason to suspect that it isn't a one-off.

 

[Iafeta]

I think the coach will make sure India don't fall back on the laurrels of this series. He's one tough, tough critter who won't settle for the medicrity India have suffered in the past.

 

[Mr Angry]

This is the first away series in years in which they haven't struggled. At this point there's no reason to suspect that it isn't a one-off.

The ODI World Cup final in RSA means nothing? They played well there and have backed it up with a fine series in Australia thus far.They have been almost unbeatable at home. However playing well under pressure in RSA and Australia does suggest they are on the improve whilst travelling. Bowlers needed, they cannot keep relying on spinners like they do at home. Some of their young quicks look alright, their future looks good. Have the Zimbots troubled them too much?
Not sure where India tour next, but I would back them for their next away series.

 

[Bobby DIGital]

They take on Pakistan next...first series between the two countries in a long time.

 

[Twizzle]

Its more of a case that Laxmans is in form, not India.

Who else in the Indian team is perfroming as consistently as Laxman.

Dravid was, but he has had some recent failures.

Their bowlers are ordinary. Everyone in the team has been rested in this series, except Laxman.

The Indian selectors aren't stupid.

 

[stormboy]

Thierry - the points u make on this thread are really pointless and uneducated

U say India have the same players as they have for some years - they are starting to blood prospects like Patel, Kartik, Pathan and Khan - sure they have along way to go to prove themselves but nevertheless they are new faces

If u have been watching cricket for more than 2 minutes which I doubt u have u will realise the Indians were whipped 3-0 in the Tests last time they were out here and u think they haven't improved

For christ sake and I speak for most people here India are doing bloody good on this tour and well done to em for giving a fight