*Official* 1st Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, 05 - 09 Feb 2021

[LJMJ]

Anyone know who's televising this series in USA? I don't see it listed on willow.

 

[Senile Sentry]

Winter sunsets happen pretty quickly over here so we usually play 9:30 to 4:30 IST in Sep-Mar period which is when our home tests happen mostly. If we play any time between April and June, we can do 10-5 for tests.

I think its been a very very long time since we played home tests between Apr and Jun. And the chance of that recurring is next to zero going forward.

9.30 indeed is the standard start time for Indian tests now.

 

[Burgey]

Putting things as neutrally as I can, does the "canal" still run around the outside of this ground, by chance?

 

[Shri]

rerouting it to balmain to improve the suburb brb

 

[Burgey]

So that would be a yes then.

 

[Shri]

****in lawyers

 

[nzfan]

This is a blockbuster series. Two serious teams. England aren't bad, their bowling is definitely world class as long as Bess, Leach and Ali can bowl consistent lines and length. Indian batting order if all their batters are fit looks scary. It's quite a contest. Struggling to figure whom to cheer for. I suppose considering the WTC finals at Lords India I guess. Not easy to face either team but prefer India slightly as its an away game for them and they'll have no serious build up. England in England is daunting.

 

[Kirkut]

We can build off the Gabba Test in terms of #intent and giving opportunities to people on the fringe, but best not to think of that game as anything other than a one-off. Doubt anyone would have expected that same bunch to come good yet again if it was a five-Test series. Mind you, they very well may have, because the series had progressed to a psychological war of attrition by that stage, but it wouldn't have been a realistic expectation.

This. Gabba win was great and as good as 2001 Kolkata win, but this is freak of a performance is not meant to be repeatable I guess. We as a team still have a vulnerable batting line up and with Stokes coming in after Broad/Archer, it will be a testing series for our batsmen.

 

[Kirkut]

This is a blockbuster series. Two serious teams. England aren't bad, their bowling is definitely world class as long as Bess, Leach and Ali can bowl consistent lines and length. Indian batting order if all their batters are fit looks scary. It's quite a contest. Struggling to figure whom to cheer for. I suppose considering the WTC finals at Lords India I guess. Not easy to face either team but prefer India slightly as its an away game for them and they'll have no serious build up. England in England is daunting.

English players have good experience in Indian conditions with IPL games, so definitely it wont be as easy as Harbhajan and Kumble bowling them out cheap more than a decade ago.

 

[Shri]

lol its not going to rise more than any of our batsmen's waists

testing

 

[trundler]

Ashwin vs Root will be tantalising.

 

[Daemon]

Ashwin will probably bring a go pro with him on the field to create more content for his channel

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

Will the Indian team give Root a signed shirt?

 

[honestbharani]

Will the Indian team give Root a signed shirt?

Sure, after winning the series. #trollclassy

 

[Shri]

it should be to anderson

 

[theegyptian]

Mulling going for Moeen over Bess apparently. https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/cr...=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1612350505

Would be quite a big decision. Bess isn't international class really, but he has made some pretty big and important contributions during his England career - and his baseline stats 25.5 with the bat and 33.09 with the ball are very decent. To replace him with someone who hasn't played any cricket and who has been poor in recent times is a big move to make on the back of Moeen ' bowling very well in the nets'. That being said Moeen seems at least in interviews to be motivated and in a positive frame of mind, which hasn't always been the case.

 

[BoyBrumby]

It'd be very harsh on Bess, who did everything asked of him in SL even if his bowling returns probably flatter his actual bowling a wee bit, but Mo does have a higher talent ceiling and has run through India before, so can definitely see the selectors going that way.

 

[Shri]

don't you guys have leggies in the squad

very few left handers in the indian batting order until 5 wickets are down at least

off spinners on tracks that only have marginal assistance to spinners at the early parts of a test match seems risky tstl

 

[trundler]

Leach turns it away

 

[Shri]

oh parkinson and crane are in the squad too