The selection looks ok but selectors' mind and future plan is not very clear.Is it curtains for Zaheer because if he is to be taken to SA then this was the ideal opportunity to test his fitness level.Inclusion of Rohit Sharma as much as exclusion of Suresh Raina are on expected lines.Resting or dropping of Jadeja is the right thing given his poor form with the bat More important one can't be sure Jadeja really cares to play Test match.In fact other two youngsters like Ajinkay Rahane and Md Shami too do not appear to show enough appetite for playing longer version of the game.Given the poor performance of pacers in the recently concluded Aus series it is very good opportunity for the Indian pacers to hone their skill,especially for Ishnt Sharma.Ashwin, who did well during the last Test series also will be under trial and will have to take wickets.Overall both sides look equal with India having the edge. WI appearing to have better bowling attack while Indian batting looks formidable.India should be able to win the series.
Why not bring Gambhir......I do not think he so old that he needs to be retired by the BCCI and Selectors. Vijay against Australia performed in just a match or 2. Vijay / Dhawan / Rohit Sharma took almost 2 to 3 yrs to perform at the international level. Vijay does not have consistency at all. With our bowlers being smashed across the stadium, Zaheer has been overlooked for underperformers like Ishant, Bhuvaneshwar, Mohammed Shami. You cannot overlook domestic performances while sitting at the selection table. How else do you think Dhawan, Rohit Sharma came into the team. It is b'cos of the domestic T20 competition that they have been given a look in into the team
Gambhir should have been brought in after he proved himself against West Indies A with a century. And to top it all the test matches are against West Indies.
Freaking surprised by the inclusion of Ishant Sharma. Rohit Sharma too.......just b'cos he had a good ODI series against Australia does not make him a good player in Tests. BCCI and selectors are disrespecting Sehwag, Gambhir, Zaheer and Harbhajan.........
Re: Gambhir
by Venugopalan on Oct 31, 2013 05:50 PM
and what makes you think the likes of zaheer, bhajji, gambhir and sehwag will perform...? Rohit sharma along with shikhar has proved to be the best openers. so no scope for gambhir etc. for proving is batting proveness
Re: Re: Gambhir
by Straight Drive on Oct 31, 2013 06:10 PM
Bhajji will be prove to be much better than Ashwin and Jadeja. He was man of the match in Champions Trophy final and has done well in Ranji first game (9 wickets and made 49 not out of just 40 deliveries).
Re: Re: Re: Gambhir
by abc_xyz abc_xyz on Oct 31, 2013 06:19 PM
What has champions trophy performance got to do with a test series? And you talk about 1 ranji game where he flourished ..FYKI Ashwin was the man of the series in the last test series against Aus. Know what you talk !!
Re: Gambhir
by Ashok Kumar on Oct 31, 2013 05:59 PM
I guess India has moved on. Unless otherwise Dhawan and Vijay fail miserably, I see no scope for sehwag or gambir.
Re: Re: Gambhir
by balaji gururajan on Nov 01, 2013 12:49 PM
i am a BIG fan of Sehwag but i hate to say there is no chance of him making a comeback unless MV/Dhawan/Rahane/Rohit Sharma perform very bad!
Ashwin and Ishant are being hammered all over the park ion the ongoing series against Australia and they are still selected. Others could have given a chance to prove themselves.
As far as Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan are concerned, they should not loose hope as they have begun the Ranji season with a bang. Zaheer has taken 5 wickets in first match while Bhajji has taken 9 wickets and have scored 49 not out of just 40 deliveries. This season will give them good hope for their selection in the team for South Africa tour.
Dhoni will not allow Ajinkya Rahane to play a single match as he will sit as a spectator in the dressing room and watch the game.
Re: Weird Selection
by abc_xyz abc_xyz on Oct 31, 2013 06:20 PM
To all those who question the inclusion of Ashwin and Vijay ..here are some basic facts:
1. This is a test series and you shouldn't look at the ODI performace and conclude. 2. We tend to forget things rather quickly. Dont forget, Ashwin was the man of the series and Vijay was the leading run scorer in the last Aussie series (4-0 whitewash). 3. Sandip Patil is a no nonsense selector and under him, the selection panel is much more foccussed on performances than on reputation.
How can the selectors justify Ishant's selection? In the past two years, this guy has taken 22 wickets from 15 Test matches at an average of 67! Forget about taking 5 wickets in an innings, he has not taken 5 wickets in a Test match during this period. Zaheer or Mohit would have been a much better option. Do the selectors ever look at the performance sheet of players before selecting? It seems his name is always ticked in after Dhoni's whenever the squad is announced either for Tests, ODIs or T20s.
Re: Re: Selector's immediate choice after Dhoni, Ishant!!!
by balaji gururajan on Nov 01, 2013 12:52 PM
Ishy is the Rohit Sharma of bowling! Given as many chances as Rohit IPL Sharma Ishy would have scored 100s while batting also! Before fans of Rohit Sharma start bashing me, I acknowledge he is extrmely talented a mix of headweight and bad luck ruined him!
Re: Ishant's selection baffling
by Venugopalan on Oct 31, 2013 05:45 PM
Ishant will prove to be a good 12th man bringing in water & cold drinks..he is highly experieced
To all those who question the inclusion of Ashwin and Vijay ..here are some basic facts:
1. This is a test series and you shouldn't look at the ODI performace and conclude. 2. We tend to forget things rather quickly. Dont forget, Ashwin was the man of the series and Vijay was the leading run scorer in the last Aussie series (4-0 whitewash). 3. Sandip Patil is a no nonsense selector and under him, the selection panel is much more foccussed on performances than on reputation.
