• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

***Official Australia in India***

pup11

International Coach
This was the last Australian test squad... I presume there won't be too many changes. Presumably only the italics players may be changed. This squad was 15 players so it may also be cut to 14 (depends what they think about players fitness).

Hayden
Jaques
Ponting
Clarke
Hodge (brought in as cover for Clarke then Hayden)
Symonds
Katich
Haddin
Lee
Clark
Johnson
Noffke
Bollinger (replaced Hilfenhaus)
Casson
MacGill
Yeah can't see them going in with a 15 man squad to India, so that would pretty much mean that Hodge goes out of the picture, and considering the fact that they took two spinners to the West Indies, i can see them doing the same for the Indian tour, so Casson and McGain may (or lets say "would", because there isn't much to choose from) get picked, i still after all this drama and suspense regarding Symonds, he might still just make it to this tour, if somehow he doesn't than Watson should come into his place, otherwise i can't see much change taking place in that squad, unless Haydos and Punter don't recover from their injuries.
 

ret

International Debutant
Rest of India squad: Anil Kumble (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Wasim Jaffer, Mohammad Kaif, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Parthiv Patel, RP Singh, Ashok Dinda, Harbhajan Singh
Would be interesting to see what the selectors do if someone like Kaif looks good, while someone like Dravid struggles against Delhi

the line-up like the one below would make sense

- Parthiv / Jaffar
- Dravid
- Laxman
- Tendulkar
- Kaif
- Dhoni
- Bhajji
- Kumble
- Zaheer
- Ojha
- Munaf

from Parthiv and Jaffar, open with one who is more likely to get into the test squad and Dravid to test him out .... Play 3 spinners to see which ones are proving effective and open the bowling with Zaheer and Munaf [that will test Munaf's fitness too for the longer format]
 
Last edited:

Nishant

International 12th Man
Really cant wait for this tour to begin...will be really exciting...although i do feel that we have never actually played to the best of our potential since that tour earlier this year. Hopefully we can raise our game and i reckon if we perform as well as we did in australia, we should win this one.
 

Precambrian

Banned
Ganguly's out of the RoI squad implies his chance of selection for the tests are virtually nil. So Fab 4 is no more. RIP.

And for Dravid, the Irani trophy fixture could be "do or die". Should he fail there, will be curtains for him too.

That will be an interesting transition, if probably for first time in a decade, Dravid and Ganguly both dont feature in a test match.

Just out of curiosity, want to watch whether they'll apply the same rule for Tendulkar and Laxman also.
 

howardj

International Coach
Tipping Ponting to go really big in this Series.

He will be as hungry as a caged, emaciated dinosaur.

Keen to exorcise the ghosts of Indian tours past.
 

Perm

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Just out of curiosity, want to watch whether they'll apply the same rule for Tendulkar and Laxman also.
Why would they? Tendulkar was brilliant in Australia, and Laxman has probably been the best of the big four over the last little while, so I'd be inclined to think they deserve more of a chance than Ganguly and Dravid.

I do think it's quite harsh on Ganguly though, as it wasn't long ago he made a glorious comeback to the Indian team and was batting very well in both Test and ODI cricket. If this is the end of his international career, as it looks likely to be, then I am a very sad cricket fan.
 

Precambrian

Banned
Why would they? Tendulkar was brilliant in Australia, and Laxman has probably been the best of the big four over the last little while, so I'd be inclined to think they deserve more of a chance than Ganguly and Dravid.

I do think it's quite harsh on Ganguly though, as it wasn't long ago he made a glorious comeback to the Indian team and was batting very well in both Test and ODI cricket. If this is the end of his international career, as it looks likely to be, then I am a very sad cricket fan.
Agree, Dravid deserved the axe more than Ganguly at this point of time. They have ignored India's most prolific test runs scorer since May 2007 (End of WC 07), Ignoring tests vs Bangladesh, the top runs aggregators are as follows:

Code:
[B]Player	       Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	SR	100	50[/B]
SC Ganguly	16	31	2	[B]1325[/B]	239	 45.68 	61.34	2	7
VVS Laxman	16	28	6	[B]1122[/B]	112*	 51.00 	51.94	2	8
V Sehwag	8	15	1	[B]1002[/B]	319	 71.57 	85.42	3	2
SR Tendulkar	13	24	2	[B]955[/B]	154*	 43.40 	57.56	2	6
R Dravid	16	31	4	[B]880[/B]	111	 32.59 	36.77	1	5
Quite unbelievable. What more irkes is the continued favor to Dravid, who's been poor for last 2 years!
 

Top_Cat

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Tipping Ponting to go really big in this Series.

He will be as hungry as a caged, emaciated dinosaur.

Keen to exorcise the ghosts of Indian tours past.
Yeah and it'll be fun to watch the people who've given him crap for failing on other tours; "So what? He scored in one series. Big deal."
 

pup11

International Coach
Australia in India 2008

Watson hopes for Symonds Test role

September 9, 2008

The expected withdrawal of Andrew Symonds for next month's tour of India has the allrounder Shane Watson thinking about what would be his greatest challenge. Symonds, who was sent home from the one-day series against Bangladesh for going fishing, is waiting to start formal counselling sessions as part of his Cricket Australia rehabilitation and it is highly unlikely he will be picked in the Test squad towards the end of this week.

Watson has won support from James Sutherland, Cricket Australia's chief executive, who admitted Symonds could be lost to the game. "I don't think that's impossible," Sutherland said on ABC radio when asked if Symonds might never play for Australia again."
I think the message the Australian players have sent is that we want Andrew Symonds in our team, but we want Andrew Symonds absolutely committed and wanting to be there. They're really asking him that question. If he can't answer that question, it may well be that he's lost to the team."

Sutherland said being without Symonds would be a "great loss", but there were other young talents who could fill his place. "People like Shane Watson may well get the opportunity they've yearned for for so long in his absence," he said.

Watson is the most convenient contender for the No. 6 spot and his all-round skills would give Australia options, including playing another spinner. However, Simon Katich and David Hussey, the batsmen who are part-time bowlers, may also come into contention, especially if fitness concerns remain over Matthew Hayden (heel) and Ricky Ponting (wrist).

"There is absolutely no doubt that, if I get the call-up, this would be the biggest challenge I could face as a cricketer," Watson told the Sydney Morning Herald. "We've only won once there in 30-odd years as it is, and there are obviously other considerations as well this time around. I would love to go, but I am not going to spend too much time worrying about selection, like I used to. If it happens, it happens."

Watson said the team was "wishing the best" for Symonds, "but if there is an opportunity there, hopefully I can take it with both hands". "The leadership group have made a difficult decision [to send Symonds home from Darwin], but the message they were trying to convey was that they needed everyone at 100% to set a good example to the young guys."

After missing the first game in Darwin with a leg problem, Watson picked up 29 and 27 as an opener as well as 2 for 8 in the final encounter. The last of his three Tests came against West Indies in 2005-06, when he partially dislocated his shoulder and was replaced by Symonds.
© Cricinfo

Few things can be made out of this article:
1.After reading what Sutherland had to say about Symonds, i think there is good chance we might have seen the last of Andrew Symonds in Australian colours.

2.David Hussey seems to have overtaken Hodge in the pecking order of test replacement batsmen, which is fair enough considering David Hussey' form over the last two seasons for the Bushrangers.
 
Last edited:

Jakester1288

International Regular
Nooooooooooo...
Sorry, I have not been around this forum for very long, and would like to know what is your problem with Phil Jaques? He is a quality batsmen, and has a solid record so far for Australia. Last time he went to Pakistan, which should be fairly close to Indian conditions, he averaged in excess of 100, which got him the call up to the national side.

He will be tested thoroughly in this tour, and he has the opportunity to prove that he is the right man to open the batting for Australia. With Rogers and Watson closing in on him for that spot, and seeing as he doesn't have ODI Cricket to fall back on, he needs to cement his position in the test side, not with a home series, on your own pitches, but with a season away from home, which he will prove at India and South Africa.

Hopefully he can do well, and become the rock at the top of Australia's order for the next 5 years. And with Hayden likely to retire by 2010, a new opener will probably come into the squad, and Jaques will have the experience to lead him through, something he went through a couple of years before, and then when he retires, the process repeats. In my opinion the future of Australian batting is settles, with no problems at all. Our problems arise when it comes to spinners. What we will do in terms of them for this tour will be interesting. Weather we will use a front line spinner (which will be beneficial with the pitch conditions) or Clarke (who is practicing his left armers for this series) with Symonds (if he plays) will be interesting.

And on the topic of Watson playing Andrew Symonds role if he elects not to go, I say no. He is much better suited to One Day Cricket, and I don't know if he could cope with a whole tour, without breaking down again. Let him ease back into Cricket in my opinion, with some Sheffield Shield and Ford Ranger Cup.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Sorry, I have not been around this forum for very long, and would like to know what is your problem with Phil Jaques? He is a quality batsmen, and has a solid record so far for Australia. Last time he went to Pakistan, which should be fairly close to Indian conditions, he averaged in excess of 100, which got him the call up to the national side.

He will be tested thoroughly in this tour, and he has the opportunity to prove that he is the right man to open the batting for Australia. With Rogers and Watson closing in on him for that spot, and seeing as he doesn't have ODI Cricket to fall back on, he needs to cement his position in the test side, not with a home series, on your own pitches, but with a season away from home, which he will prove at India and South Africa.

Hopefully he can do well, and become the rock at the top of Australia's order for the next 5 years. And with Hayden likely to retire by 2010, a new opener will probably come into the squad, and Jaques will have the experience to lead him through, something he went through a couple of years before, and then when he retires, the process repeats. In my opinion the future of Australian batting is settles, with no problems at all. Our problems arise when it comes to spinners. What we will do in terms of them for this tour will be interesting. Weather we will use a front line spinner (which will be beneficial with the pitch conditions) or Clarke (who is practicing his left armers for this series) with Symonds (if he plays) will be interesting.

And on the topic of Watson playing Andrew Symonds role if he elects not to go, I say no. He is much better suited to One Day Cricket, and I don't know if he could cope with a whole tour, without breaking down again. Let him ease back into Cricket in my opinion, with some Sheffield Shield and Ford Ranger Cup.
His problem was with howardj's spelling of his name.
 

Precambrian

Banned
Sorry, I have not been around this forum for very long, and would like to know what is your problem with Phil Jaques? He is a quality batsmen, and has a solid record so far for Australia. Last time he went to Pakistan, which should be fairly close to Indian conditions, he averaged in excess of 100, which got him the call up to the national side.
Nope, conditions in Pakistan may match to that of Mohali, may be. Otherwise esp during winter, it can vary significantly.
 

Top