***Official*** Australia in India

[Matt79]

And while you'd think Dhoni might cop some grief for putting the Aussies in only to see them get 300+, it was the right call. The ball moved a heap early on and then didn't at all after about over 10 or 15 of the Australian innings, and the outfield was a heap faster by the end of the first innings.

 

[Matt79]

Assuming Ponting and Bracken are right to come back in for game three, who makes way? I think Haddin has done enough to get a go ahead of Hodge (which is not what I thought would happen ). With the bowlers, I'd think Clark will have to be the one to go, although he bowled close to as well as I've seen him do today - I think Johnson has been better. I'm assuming that Lee is still not near being dropped at this point, but he's been disappointing so far. They'll want him to play himself into some form in these ODIs after a while out of cricket.

I have to say Hopes' bowling impressed me today, I feel a bit bad for mocking it during the first game. If you take out the seven runs he was unfairly stuck with in his first over (badly incorrect no ball call and a six from the resulting free hit), his figures are even better.

 

[Nate]

Haddin.

Some top hitting today really. Great to see Clark finding his ODI boots and Hogg coming back very nicely. Greatest bloke.

 

[Nate]

Today also confirming to me that GIilchrist should be down the order, pronto.

 

[Matt79]

He's struggling a bit isn't he? Who would you have as opener instead?

 

[chaminda_00]

He's struggling a bit isn't he? Who would you have as opener instead?

Hopes he's gun

 

[Matt79]

Hopes he's gun

Just to keep Watto's seat warm, right?

As I suggested earlier in the thread, since Symonds enjoys batting with Hayden so much, let him open.

 

[Goughy]

Today also confirming to me that GIilchrist should be down the order, pronto.

Isnt this the same guy that blasted 149 off 104 balls in the World Cup final less than 6 months ago?

Im not saying your wrong to move him down, but Id think long and hard before doing it and there had better be a near surefire success to replace him.

 

[howardj]

Today also confirming to me that GIilchrist should be down the order, pronto.

I almost think it's time to give Gilly 'the tap' in both forms. It's a good summer to ease a keeper in, with not much chance of Australia losing to Sri Lanka and India at home.

Haddin could give this team the same incredible boost that Gilly gave it when he replaced Healy. BH is simply an awesome batsman and a mature cricketer at the top of his game.

It would be hard saying goodbye to Gilly, just as it was Healy. But, as with Healy being replaced, the team comes first. Gilly is capable of the odd awesome knock, but the consistency is long gone.

 

[Matt79]

I'd want to give him a while to see whether being able to concentrate soley on Tests would lead to an increase in his form.

I'd prefer Gilly to pull stumps himself rather than being shown the door - the guy is an all time great, and just because Healy was cut off doesn't mean I want the same thing to happen twice.

 

[howardj]

Me neither. Gilly is one of my favourite players. It would be a much harsher call than when Healy was rightfully, although sadly, dumped.

 

[SJS]

So Indians are not the only ones who expect their greatsportsmen to be infallible.

Come on guys, Gilchrist is not only a fantastic player he has a lot of cricket left in him. If there is any country that can afford to wait for one of its finest to get back to form it is Australia.

And with due regards to the talent of Hardin, the guy is no patch on Gilchrist. The only people I can think of who would be glad to see Gilchrist gone is bowlers from all over the world.

 

[Matt79]

So Indians are not the only ones who expect their greatsportsmen to be infallible.

Come on guys, Gilchrist is not only a fantastic player he has a lot of cricket left in him. If there is any country that can afford to wait for one of its finest to get back to form it is Australia.

And with due regards to the talent of Hardin, the guy is no patch on Gilchrist. The only people I can think of who would be glad to see Gilchrist gone is bowlers from all over the world.

I don't think Howardj is, and I know I'm not, reacting to today's game, or even this series. Gilchrist is still a very very good player, and on his day (see WC final) a brilliant one. But watching him over the last year or two, he is becoming less consistent and his days of brilliance are occuring further and further apart. I'm not saying he's washed up, but Haddin is a very fine possible replacement, and he shouldn't be exempt from having to earn his spot ahead of the competition either.

As I said, my preference would be that he sometime soon relinquish the gloves, of his own accord, in the pyjama game, which is after all only a silly distraction, and concentrate of at least a couple more years of quality in the test arena.

 

[Johnners]

So Indians are not the only ones who expect their greatsportsmen to be infallible.

Come on guys, Gilchrist is not only a fantastic player he has a lot of cricket left in him. If there is any country that can afford to wait for one of its finest to get back to form it is Australia.

And with due regards to the talent of Hardin, the guy is no patch on Gilchrist. The only people I can think of who would be glad to see Gilchrist gone is bowlers from all over the world.

I don't think Howardj is, and I know I'm not, reacting to today's game, or even this series. Gilchrist is still a very very good player, and on his day (see WC final) a brilliant one. But watching him over the last year or two, he is becoming less consistent and his days of brilliance are occuring further and further apart. I'm not saying he's washed up, but Haddin is a very fine possible replacement, and he shouldn't be exempt from having to earn his spot ahead of the competition either.

As I said, my preference would be that he sometime soon relinquish the gloves, of his own accord, in the pyjama game, which is after all only a silly distraction, and concentrate of at least a couple more years of quality in the test arena.

Pretty much agree with Matt here, although i very much doubt we'll see another couple of years of Gilly in the test arena. IMO he'll hand over the gloves in both forms at the end of the Australian summer. Either way, he's been a fantastic servant to Australian cricket, and as long as his heart is still in the game, the selectors would be foolish not to pick him.

 

[SJS]

I don't think Howardj is, and I know I'm not, reacting to today's game, or even this series. Gilchrist is still a very very good player, and on his day (see WC final) a brilliant one. But watching him over the last year or two, he is becoming less consistent and his days of brilliance are occuring further and further apart. I'm not saying he's washed up, but Haddin is a very fine possible replacement, and he shouldn't be exempt from having to earn his spot ahead of the competition either.

As I said, my preference would be that he sometime soon relinquish the gloves, of his own accord, in the pyjama game, which is after all only a silly distraction, and concentrate of at least a couple more years of quality in the test arena.

You may be right about Haddin. We havent seen much of him. But he has had two good innings in two matches in which Gilchristhasfailed but inspite ofHaddin's runs he looks a shadow of what what Gilchrist has shown capable of being.

Maybe one is influenced by fond hope more than sound logic but I still feel it is very early days for us to think of Gilly in the past tense.

As Goughy said some time back, its only six months or so since that great innings in the world cup finals.

Its possible that Gilchrist may never touch those heights again but its a bit early to be sure of that.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Gilchrist is generally seen as greater than Haddin with the gloves anyways, I believe.

 

[pup11]

Gilly is a great player and i just can't think what makes you guys say that he doesn't deserves to be the part of the Aussie Odi team, if you guys think his performances haven't been upto the scratch off-late then that's not true, the last Odi game that Australia played before this series, was the WC final where he scored a breathtaking 150 odd which single handedly won the WC for Australia.
I agree Gilly is no longer as consistent as used to be in both forms of the game when he was in his prime, but there is no doubt on his day he is still the most destructive batsman in world cricket.
You guys should understand that a guy like Gilly has nothing much left to achieve and even if he decides to hang his boots today he would go down as one of the all time greats, but Gilly is carrying on for the team because he and the Australian team management don't want any more experienced players retiring at this time especially after the retirements of Martyn, Langer, Warne and McGrath.

 

[Matt79]

Gilchrist is generally seen as greater than Haddin with the gloves anyways, I believe.

I have absolutely no problem with Gilchrist's keeping - I think he is keeping as well as he ever has.

 

[Matt79]

Gilly is a great player and i just can't think what makes you guys say that he doesn't deserves to be the part of the Aussie Odi team, if you guys think his performances haven't been upto the scratch off-late then that's not true, the last Odi game that Australia played before this series, was the WC final where he scored a breathtaking 150 odd which single handedly won the WC for Australia.
I agree Gilly is no longer as consistent as used to be in both forms of the game when he was in his prime, but there is no doubt on his day he is still the most destructive batsman in world cricket.
You guys should understand that a guy like Gilly has nothing much left to achieve and even if he decides to hang his boots today he would go down as one of the all time greats, but Gilly is carrying on for the team because he and the Australian team management don't want any more experienced players retiring at this time especially after the retirements of Martyn, Langer, Warne and McGrath.

I'm not knocking him, I'm just saying he's shouldn't be guaranteed a spot, that Haddin is a very good option and that his best days are probably behind him, so thinking about the succession is inevitable.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Gilchrist has already suggested that he might be retiring from ODIs, hasn't he? That would be a perfectly reasonable move, maybe at the end of this summer, depending on how he goes, and how motivated he is in the format.

I don't see any justification at all for dropping him from the test side, though. He didn't have a great Ashes series, but it wasn't exactly abysmal either, and his keeping is fine. Every player has bad patches or periods where people question them, witness Hayden leading into the CB series last summer, Ponting in 2004, McGrath about every 2 weeks for the last 5 years of his career etc. Once a player reaches a certain age every patch of poor form suddenly puts them on the chopping block, at least in the eyes of certain kinds of fans, but it's certainly not justified yet for Gilchrist IMO. Even if he is permanantly past his best, he is still a fine keeper and, after all, a number 7. If he only averages 40 it's hardly going to drag the team down.