Project Raina part 2

[Furball]

He'd probably fare better than Virat "Flat wickets all day every day" Kohli to be honest in the Test side right now.

At least Raina got a 50 in England...

 

[Spark]

I just realised that if Raina makes the test squad against West Indies and flukes a hundred or two, we'll get to see Raina vs Mitch in December! This suddenly sounds amazing

Please happen. Please please please happen.

 

[Jono]

Probably is, but the fact that you bit...

Worst bloke.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Squad for the tests:


MS Dhoni (capt), Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha, R Ashwin, Karn Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron

It has happened.

 

[cnerd123]

Well 1-4 are confirmed, and assuming the keeper at 6 and Ashwin/Jadeja as 7/8...the question is will Raina actually play over Rohit/Rahane?

 

[nsniks]

Well 1-4 are confirmed, and assuming the keeper at 6 and Ashwin/Jadeja as 7/8...the question is will Raina actually play over Rohit/Rahane?

Rahane is also confirmed for the fifth spot in our test XI. Its between Rohit and Raina for number 6 spot

 

[OverratedSanity]

I'd laugh so much if Rahane missed out on a spot and Rohit and Raina got in.

 

[cnerd123]

Rahane is also confirmed for the fifth spot in our test XI. Its between Rohit and Raina for number 6 spot

India's reverting back to 7 batsmen 4 bowlers?

Thought they would have stuck with the 5 bowler experiment a bit longer. Ashwin-Jadeja-Bhuvi do make a good 7-8-9, and having those 3 + Ishant helps cover for Yadav/Aaron.

 

[Daemon]

I really hope they don't go two spinners in Australia.

 

[anil1405]

Since when did teams start picking a 19 man squad?

 

[nsniks]

India's reverting back to 7 batsmen 4 bowlers?

Thought they would have stuck with the 5 bowler experiment a bit longer. Ashwin-Jadeja-Bhuvi do make a good 7-8-9, and having those 3 + Ishant helps cover for Yadav/Aaron.

Ya I think for the first match they will go with 7 batsmen and 4 bowlers with our 4 bowlers being Ishant, Kumar, Yadav/Aaron and Ashwin

 

[cnerd123]

2 spinners 3 quicks is the best way to go IMO. Allows for the quicks to bowl shorter spells and conserve their energy, and Aus will have scars of non-turning left arm spin from Babar that Jaddu could exploit.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I really hope they don't go two spinners in Australia.

Ashwin+Jadeja+Raina+Rohit= 2 spinners.

 

[harsh.ag]

I just know they are going to play Raina in the warm up game where the Aussies will deliberately give him dollies, and next thing you know:

 

[harsh.ag]

It is quite amazing how Shami has moved out of the reckoning so quickly. Would have him over Ishant any day (the selectors would beg to differ with me, of course).

My attack would be Yadav, Aaron, and Bhuvi. Bhuvi and Umesh to open. Let's have a go at the Aussies!

 

[morgieb]

2 spinners 3 quicks is the best way to go IMO. Allows for the quicks to bowl shorter spells and conserve their energy, and Aus will have scars of non-turning left arm spin from Babar that Jaddu could exploit.

This isn't the UAE. We've coped very well against spinners in Australia, Jadeja won't be much of a concern IMO. No opposition spinners since Kumble have done particularly well against us in Australian conditions.

 

[OverratedSanity]

It is quite amazing how Shami has moved out of the reckoning so quickly. Would have him over Ishant any day (the selectors would beg to differ with me, of course).

My attack would be Yadav, Aaron, and Bhuvi. Bhuvi and Umesh to open. Let's have a go at the Aussies!

I'm glad you aren't a selector. As ridiculous as this sounds, dropping Ishant now would be unfair to him and wouldn't be the right decision. He was genuinely, objectively, not utterly woeful in England. That's more than enough to make the Indian side as a bowler. He'll probably get smashed because he's a bad bowler, but give him a chance so that we have definitive proof that his 3 5-fers in the year have been flukes.

And Yadav, Aaron and Bhuvi in the same side?! Man, no way. I made a post a while back how that attack would be mince-meat for Australia. Just so risky to go with an attack like that.. worse than 2 spinners imo. Umesh/Aaron-Ishant-Bhuvi-Ashwin. that's it. No other combo can work, atleast as an initial selection for the first test.

 

[harsh.ag]

I'm glad you aren't a selector. As ridiculous as this sounds, dropping Ishant now would be unfair to him and wouldn't be the right decision. He was genuinely, objectively, not utterly woeful in England. That's more than enough to make the Indian side as a bowler. He'll probably get smashed because he's a bad bowler, but give him a chance so that we have definitive proof that his 3 5-fers in the year have been flukes.

And Yadav, Aaron and Bhuvi in the same side?! Man, no way. I made a post a while back how that attack would be mince-meat for Australia. Just so risky to go with an attack like that.. worse than 2 spinners imo. Umesh/Aaron-Ishant-Bhuvi-Ashwin. that's it. No other combo can work, atleast as an initial selection for the first test.

Yeah it's a risk. I say we should take it. Bhuvi and Aaron are undroppable for me. Basically it's between Umesh, Shami, and Ishant for the third pacer spot. I don't think there is a massive difference and Umesh is in good form. I couldn't give less of a flying load of crap about giving another chance to Ishant to prove anything.

Bias there maybe. Whatever.

 

[cnerd123]

This isn't the UAE. We've coped very well against spinners in Australia, Jadeja won't be much of a concern IMO. No opposition spinners since Kumble have done particularly well against us in Australian conditions.

Well the idea behind two spinners isn't to run through Australia, it's to bowl containing overs so we can rotate our fragile quicks and not bowl them into the ground. The problems for India arise when, as we saw in England, the fast bowlers tire out and breakdown over the course of a 5 Test Series. And most of that is down to them having to bowl 20 odd overs every innings and not having the strength and fitness to do so across 5 Tests.

Really, the best solution to avoid this is to play both Ashwin and Jadeja, take the minor hit to the batting strength, and keep the three quicks fresh by bowling them in short spells and giving them fewer overs each innings. You can also rotate Yadav and Aaron if necessary, so they can go all out each time they bowl.

Between Ashwin, Jadeja and Ishant bowling the stock overs, you can have Bhuvi bowl nice long spells with the new ball, and Yadav/Aaron tearing in for short, quick, bursts.

Now...if after the first test Ashwin and Jadeja fail to show the ability to contain, then we have problems...

 

[vic_orthdox]

India's reverting back to 7 batsmen 4 bowlers?

Thought they would have stuck with the 5 bowler experiment a bit longer. Ashwin-Jadeja-Bhuvi do make a good 7-8-9, and having those 3 + Ishant helps cover for Yadav/Aaron.

If Dhoni misses the first Test, then surely they can't give Saha the gig at 6?