***Official*** India in South Africa

[Arjun]

Would anyone want Dinesh Karthik to return to the Test and especially the ODI side? Not too bad an idea, since he's a better keeper than Dhoni, and the runs he scores are a tremendous value addition to his wicketkeeping. There's not much wrong with Dhoni, though he seems more a frontline batsman, but this should be kept open as an option. That apart, Sanjay Bangar has to be brought back to the ODI side sooner than later. He's a far more relevant player than all those show-ponies who've been donated India caps these days.

 

[silentstriker]

Would anyone want Dinesh Karthik to return to the Test and especially the ODI side? Not too bad an idea, since he's a better keeper than Dhoni, and the runs he scores are a tremendous value addition to his wicketkeeping. There's not much wrong with Dhoni, though he seems more a frontline batsman, but this should be kept open as an option. That apart, Sanjay Bangar has to be brought back to the ODI side sooner than later. He's a far more relevant player than all those show-ponies who've been donated India caps these days.

Dhoni's keeping was very good in West Indies, though I have more than a few questions about his ability to handle pressure and bat on a non-flat track in a test match.

 

[Arjun]

Dhoni's keeping was very good in West Indies, though I have more than a few questions about his ability to handle pressure and bat on a non-flat track in a test match.

If you've got a question over his batting, maybe you can go for Dinesh Karthik or even Ajay Ratra, both being the best wicketkeepers in India, sadly sidelined by the Indian selectors' hunt for a nonexistent wicketkeeper-batsman.

 

[viktor]

I used to be a Dinesh Karthik fan but now I'd say lets give Dhoni some time to deliver with both bat and gloves.

If Dhoni keeps failing with the bat and getting better with the gloves, we might run into a GoJo-Read situation...

 

[silentstriker]

Oddly enough, when he came on the scene, I had issues with his keeping, not batting. Now its the reverse (definatly like Jones).

I think that in the west indies, he showed that he is a capable gloveman....that stumping was excellent, and he had a very solid time behind the stumps overall.

I am definatly in favor of getting guys who are wicketkeepers first and batsman second, so I'd stay with him. I think if he averages around 30, thats more than enough, provided he has sound glovework.

You can make up the difference of ten runs or so, very easily, by just holding on to a tough catch or stumping someone out, or saving some byes that a lessger gloveman would have let go. Just getting out the likes of Lara or Kallis is much more important than getting that extra 10 runs.

Because you give Kallis or Lara another chance, and you're going to pay for it with a lot more than 10 runs.

Plus, regardless of the number of runs he scores, he scores them fast...so he has additional value above his actual average, as a type of 'shock' factor.

 

[Sanz]

Dinesh Karthick for me. He is a better Keeper and a better TEST batsman than Dhoni.

 

[silentstriker]

Dinesh Karthick for me. He is a better Keeper and a better TEST batsman than Dhoni.

That might have been true when Dhoni first came on the scene, but I think he has been overtaken by Dhoni in the glove department since the WI series, don't you think?

I have the WI series recorded on TiVo, and I went back yesterday and watched the 5th match....I was very impressed with his keeping.

 

[Sanz]

He may be better by his own poor standards, but how did you conclude that he is a better Test WK than Dinesh Karthick ?

 

[silentstriker]

He may be better by his own poor standards, but how did you conclude that he is a better Test WK than Dinesh Karthick ?

I never concluded any such thing. When I watched the test, I noted that he was very good. He was not 'very good' compared to his previous standard - but rather very good overall. Thats what I noted. He was excellent behind the stumps.

 

[Gajanayake]

Parthiv Patel is probably a better test batsman than both Karthik and MS Dhoni.
Patel I think averaged around 38 in his last 10 tests before being dropped with some good knocks against fairly decent attacks.

If his keeping has improved in the last 2 years, then I think he is worth a shot again.

 

[Gajanayake]

Donald wasn't there last time either, we still lost 3-0 in Tests and 3-1 in ODIs against the likes of Pollock, Nitni, Hayward etc. Nitni, Pollock, Steyn, Nel etc. is a good enough attack to beat India 2-0 in Tests.

INdia didn't lose 3-0 last time. They lost 1-0 on the official count......2-0 if you include the unofficial last test.

 

[Gajanayake]

Dinesh Karthick for me. He is a better Keeper and a better TEST batsman than Dhoni.

On what basis is he a better TEST batsman ? KArthick did jack all with the bat apart from that 93 in Calcutta.......

 

[adharcric]

Parthiv Patel is probably a better test batsman than both Karthik and MS Dhoni.

Let's not go there for the next few years. Parthiv can't even do crap on the domestic circuit these days, he needs Kiran More to spoonfeed him an A team selection repeatedly.
He might have a future, but it's not too near.

 

[adharcric]

Given that Dhoni's glovework improved dramatically in the West Indies and he hasn't exactly "consistently failed" as a test batsman yet but is just untested, he should remain the test wicketkeeper. Don't even mention a replacement for Dhoni in ODIs. He's clearly been among the top ten ODI batsmen in the world over the past year. That said, Karthik is a strong contender for test selection in 2007, perhaps after the tour of England. Dhoni will definitely get South Africa and England, IMO.

 

[Sanz]

INdia didn't lose 3-0 last time. They lost 1-0 on the official count......2-0 if you include the unofficial last test.

Ofcourse, India were going to win the rain affected 2nd test match and the result would have been 1-1 (officially)

 

[Sanz]

On what basis is he a better TEST batsman ? KArthick did jack all with the bat apart from that 93 in Calcutta.......

Mr. Dhoni hasn't done that either. Did I say that India won Kolkata test, thanks to Karthick's stand with Dravid when India were struggling for 150/5 ?

 

[Gajanayake]

Mr. Dhoni hasn't done that either. Did I say that India won Kolkata test, thanks to Karthick's stand with Dravid when India were struggling for 150/5 ?

Yeah and Dhoni also scored his test hundred when India were in trouble in Pakistan........a one off performance doesn't prove Karthik is a better test bastman, Sanz

 

[Sanz]

Dhoni also scored his test hundred when India were in trouble in Pakistan......

You mean the test in Faisalabad where the scores, in the thress innings played, were 588, 603 and 488/4 India were in trouble ?

 

[aussie]

Dinesh Karthick for me. He is a better Keeper and a better TEST batsman than Dhoni.

well i've seen a lot of these two i.e Australia & SA India 2004, Pakistan in India 2005, England in India 2006 & India in Pakistan & WI 2006 & i have to disagree.

If i were an Indian fan or selector i'd back Dhoni to come good because he has all the attributes to become a devastating keeper/batsman in years to come in the mould of Gilchrist.

 

[adharcric]

This series is just over a month away now. Some renewed thoughts about the composition of our test side ...

The Openers
Obviously, Jaffer and Sehwag should open the batting. Gambhir has looked very good on the domestic and A-team circuit but he may be expendable given that Dravid can open if necessary.

The Middle-Order
Dravid-Tendulkar-Laxman in the middle should not even be debated. If we only play four specialist bowlers, Yuvraj should get the nod mainly because he is far superior to Kaif at close-in fielding positions and that is crucial for a spin attack like ours.

The Wicketkeepers
Dhoni should get this series but it'll be a good idea to send Karthik as well. This will serve several purposes: a) provide backup b) keep Dhoni on his toes c) let Karthik stake his claim to the management if Dhoni does fail in the next series or two. As mentioned earlier, failures in South Africa and England should mean the return of Karthik as the test keeper.

The Seamers
Pathan, Munaf, Sreesanth and Zaheer are all we need. Pathan's form with the ball is very crucial - if he's taking wickets and restricting the flow of runs, we can play five bowlers. Otherwise, we have to play four bowlers. If we happen to get a greentop and Pathan is in bad shape, Munaf-Sreesanth-Zaheer-Kumble will do just fine. If Chappell wants to opt for five seamers again, it's a toss-up between VRV Singh and RP Singh depending on who does better between now and then (in Duleep, CT). Personally, I'd go for VRV as he's looked quite sharp of late.

The Spinners
No questions asked, Kumble and Harbhajan. Both should play unless the pitch offers no assistance whatsoever or Bhajji suffers from a drastic slump (unlikely).