***Official*** Australia in India 2012/13

[silentstriker]

India v Australia, 1st Test, Chennai : Selective watering the secret to 'ugly' pitch | Cricket News | India v Australia | ESPN Cricinfo



solid trolling from the curator 8/10

Haha that's not right...

[ImpatientLime]

That would be a massive blow if Patto doesn't play. But he is so crucial to the Ashes campaigns that if there is a risk he will pick up yet another injury I can understand the caution.

Urgh, have Australia turned into the England of 10 years ago? Worried about winning back the Ashes and nothing else? Concentrate on the series at hand and nothing else. Too many Aussies are too Ashes centric at the moment. A series win in India would be massive, as big as winning back the urn.

[Furball]

If they drop Harbhajan though they bring in Ojha who is clearly a better bowler now. Can't see why Harbhajan got the nod unless they wanted the extra batting as it failed so often in recent times. A real Fletcher pick that.

If anything it's Jadeja who's the Ohja replacement. Harbhajan will have been brought in because the majority of Australia's top order IIRC is left handed.

[Tangles]

I think the reasoning on Patto would be 2 fold (not that I fully agree). A rest that stops him from getting injured long term will help him have a longer Australian career. He also could be the spearhead to help us win back the Ashes but we are unlikely to win in India even with him. A lineup of Lyon, Siddle, MJ and Doherty will be as close to the selectors conceding the match/series as it gets.

[Tangles]

Someone mentioned Watto possibly leaving the tour due to an upcoming child birth? I guess that would mean Khawaja or Smith would slot into the team.

[silentstriker]

India v Australia, 1st Test, Chennai : Selective watering the secret to 'ugly' pitch | Cricket News | India v Australia | ESPN Cricinfo



solid trolling from the curator 8/10

Haha. I'm all for home pitches and Ill defend that forever. But doesn't sit right to specifically change the preparation in one area where the opposition bowler happens to bowl. If that was done at, say, Lord's, there'd be an outcry.

[uvelocity]

someone needs to do an aussie bowling injury tracker thread and go through old cricket books to compare

[Furball]

Haha. I'm all for home pitches and Ill defend that forever. But doesn't sit right to specifically change the preparation in one area where the opposition bowler happens to bowl. If that was done at, say, Lord's, there'd be an outcry.

The slope at Lord's was tailor made for Glenn McGrath to be fair.

[schearzie]

but not the pitch prepared for McGrath, just the way the pitch is

[ankitj]

Lyon is an off spinner like Ashwin and Harbhajan. What am I missing ?

[Daemon]

Lyon is an off spinner like Ashwin and Harbhajan. What am I missing ?

Read the article

[social]

Haha. I'm all for home pitches and Ill defend that forever. But doesn't sit right to specifically change the preparation in one area where the opposition bowler happens to bowl. If that was done at, say, Lord's, there'd be an outcry.

Why is it any worse than, say, the Chennai pitch?

After all, that was prepared specifically to negate the impact of 3 Australian bowlers not just one

[Daemon]

It was prepared for our strengths, rather than Australia's weaknesses. It's just a bonus to us Australia has no quality spinners, even if they did the pitch would be identical.

In the Warne case it was doctored to negate the advantage of a specific opposition bowler, which just doesn't feel right.

[social]

It was prepared for our strengths, rather than Australia's weaknesses. It's just a bonus to us Australia has no quality spinners, even if they did the pitch would be identical.

In the Warne case it was doctored to negate the advantage of a specific opposition bowler, which just doesn't feel right.

Nope

India knows that our strength is pace bowling and weakness is playing spin so a pitch was prepared accordingly

Anyway, India is just about the only country in the world where home cricketers publicly call for doctored pitches and then bitch if they are not "up to their standards"

Does that feel right?

To me, it's just plain embarassing

[Satyanash89]

India v Australia, 1st Test, Chennai : Selective watering the secret to 'ugly' pitch | Cricket News | India v Australia | ESPN Cricinfo



solid trolling from the curator 8/10

So Sachin hitting Warne for sixes out of the rough in that epic 155 in 1998 happened because of the curator?! Thats a shame