Composition of the Indian Team in the 3 upcoming Series

[Deja moo]

Yuvraj plays Pace way better than spin , Sehwag plays spin better than pace...therefore the swap of positions . About Laxman , I'd drop him if he doesnt get more consistent .

 

[honestbharani]

Yuvraj plays Pace way better than spin , Sehwag plays spin better than pace...therefore the swap of positions . About Laxman , I'd drop him if he doesnt get more consistent .

I don't intend to open a pandora's box here but if you think Yuvraj should open, then why not the pair of Yuvi and Viru. They are probably gonna open in tests anyway and it would be nice to have the same pair opening in tests and ODIs. Sachin can bat at 4 where his new style (if he decides to stick on playing the way he did in the Asia Cup) would be mightily effective and we have two hitters at the top. Sourav at 5 means he would be like a specialist hitter himself and Rahul has done well in the lower middle order in the past too and Kaif/ Rohan/Kartik at 7 means we have a more than decent team to field. If Agarkar and Balaji get picked, then we almost have 11 batters, since Harbhajan can bat usefully, in his own unorthodox way and Balaji is a decent hitter too.

 

[Hit4Six]

who comes in at 3?

 

[Arjun]

I don't intend to open a pandora's box here but if you think Yuvraj should open, then why not the pair of Yuvi and Viru. They are probably gonna open in tests anyway and it would be nice to have the same pair opening in tests and ODIs.

Good point. The Souh Africans, Lankans, English and West Indians have the same opening batsmen in Tests and ODI's, so why not the Indians?

About Laxman , I'd drop him if he doesnt get more consistent .

Are there any better players than Laxman to have in the team? I doubt it. None out of Badani, Rohan, Yuvraj, Kaif, Sodhi, Sehwag or even Ganguly are good enough to replace Laxman. Besides, ever since his return to ODI's in mid-2002, he has been averaging in the 40's and has a few big scores, too. Dinesh Mongia, considered a better ODI player than him, was a major failure throughout the home series v/s WI, in NZ and in the World Cup. Laxman is far better. He gets runs against quality opponents. If you can drop Laxman because of one bad performance, why not drop Ganguly? He has struggled against non-minnow sides for a long time. Plus, Laxman is a better fielder in the slips- the slip cordon was weak without him. Tendulkar, Laxman and Dravid are the only batsmen in this team who have really established themselves among the best in world cricket today, so you cannot do without them.

 

[Arjun]

who comes in at 3?

A player who can build a partnership and go for shots when needed, and has a good innings temperament, like Ricky Ponting, Gurusinha or Imran Khan, should bat at 3, and not someone with two left feet against pace, like Shoaib Malik or Ganguly. The best choice is Rahul Dravid and nobody else.

Sachin can bat at 4 where his new style (if he decides to stick on playing the way he did in the Asia Cup) would be mightily effective and we have two hitters at the top. Sourav at 5 means he would be like a specialist hitter himself and Rahul has done well in the lower middle order in the past too and Kaif/ Rohan/Kartik at 7 means we have a more than decent team to field. If Agarkar and Balaji get picked, then we almost have 11 batters, since Harbhajan can bat usefully, in his own unorthodox way and Balaji is a decent hitter too.

Having 11 batsmen is not enough to win matches- otherwise the Indians would have won every tournament where they played and could have challenged the Australians. In fact, even 4 batsmen are enough to win a match, if they score the runs needed.

That Number 7 position must go to a genuine all-rounder and nobody else. The team lacks an all-rounder, which explains why they cannot sustain a winning position, or get out of a tough spot. ODI cricket, or modern-day cricket is not a game for specialists. You have to have multi-skilled players in your side. The best teams have at least one genuine all-rounder. Australia have Gilchrist, NZ have Cairns, England have Flintoff, SA have as many as 3 all-rounders. The Indians need one, and the best choices are Bahutule, Ramesh Powar and JP Yadav. Even Sodhi must be given more chances- his fielding is of such high quality, that can be considered as an extra sikill, and very relevant in a team whose fielding is an area of weakness.

 

[Arjun]

Pathan should also be played as a regular batsman, among the top six, especially in the first 15 overs or the final 10, since he is the hardest hitter in this team. His job is not to build an innings, but hit the big shots. The same can be said about Balaji, since he cannot stay in the team as a specialist bowler, at his slow pace.

 

[marc71178]

Why the continual hype about Pathan as a top order batsman?

He's a bowler first and foremost, and would better serve the Indian cause by practising that before having any pretensions of becoming a top order batsman as well.

 

[Deja moo]

Dont think it is such a god idea to have both Viru and Yuvi opening .We need someone to go for the big shots at the death .Hence the need to keep one of them lower down the order .

I prefer Sachin opening .

Badani contributes almost every chance he gets , whereas Laxman gives us runs only once every 5 games . Seeing that they average the same , and Badani being more consistent as well as a better fielder , I'd take Badani over Laxman .

As for the all rounders spot , Powar is my choice.

If Kumble were Australian , he wouldnt be playing One dayers anymore . He doesnt pick wickets in ODIs anymore .

 

[nokia_guy]

Sehwag
Tendulkar
Laxman
Ganguly
Dravid
Yuvraj
Kaif
Pathan
Agarkar
Harbhajan/Kumble
Nehra

Thats more or less the lineup for this series against the aussies. Karthik is there FOR INJURY troubles more or less according to the point they were making during the Asia Cup. Karthik will replace an injured batsmen. Otherwise, he is not playing.
And I can see Agarkar or Nehra being replaced by Balaji for a match here and there depending on their performances in the games. If India ends up on a winning streak, then there is no change to be made from this team. I see only Agarkar being left out if Balaji seems to get his mojo back in time (like in that decider match against Pakistan in the Samsung cup).
And Kumble replacing Harbhajan every now and then depending on ideal conditions since leggies are much better for right handed batsmen (for their wrong-uns).

 

[mkamdar]

1. Sehwag
2. Ganguly
3. Tendulkar
4. Badani
5. Dravid
6. Yuvraj
7. Dinesh Karthik
8. Pathan
9. Balaji
10. Kumble/Harbhajan
11. Nehra/Agarkar

And no I don't think Agarkar's batting is better than Balaji's as someone said. Agarkar is crap and he should be kicked out forever.

Like you said you are "Really Crazy"! Dude, what are you smoking? Balaji has gotten a few slogs in - it does not make him a better batsmen than Agarkar. He has a century to his name. Balaji has not even come close to that!

 

[Majin]

1. Sehwag
2. Tendulkar
3. Ganguly
4. Dravid
5. Laxman
6. Yuvraj
7. Kaif
8. Pathan
9. Agarkar
10. Kumble/Harbajahn
11. Nehra/Balaji

Dropping Laxman is out of the question. Like Sudeep said, the line-up looks weaker without him there. The top six five of India are without a doubt the strengh of the team, so changing it is just...a bit silly.