factually, this was the best Indian Pace Bowling side to tour!!! Batting was one of the worst touring group while spin deptt. was a selection anomaly.
Batting in fact was like expecting a small rubber band of a 10 over T20 fame to extend beyond 80 overs.... It snapped for want of tenacity. Rather, it was like expecting a stand-up comedian to carry the entire 3 hour film. ha..ha..ha...
No doubt Rahane, Pujara, Rahul, why even Dhawan & Pant are well equipped but they will have to think like a team in line of how Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, etc. grouped in their times. In short batting lacked team spirit while pace bowling surprisingly for an India team plied like a well oiled unit. If only, atleast 2 and half batsmen per innings would have supported our bowling with Jadeja included from start, then, this team certainly would have been the best. But then, among pace-bowling, spin-bowling, fielding & batting, if only one clicked then, you can\'t win a 5 test series with 25% performance.
And team selection, well, it boasted of over confidence and whim of 1 or 2 people. Captain Virat Kohli would have matured more in this tour now. If this team has someone like Kirsten or Dravid at the helm then, it would be much different. Shastri has had his time. He did well for the first time to boost up the lunging shoulders. Thanks Ravi Shastri...words have to be implemented by players on the field.
factually, this was the best Indian Pace Bowling side to tour!!! Batting was one of the worst touring group while spin deptt. was a selection anomaly.
Batting in fact was like expecting a small rubber band of a 10 over T20 fame to extend beyond 80 overs.... It snapped for want of tenacity. Rather, it was like expecting a stand-up comedian to carry the entire 3 hour film. ha..ha..ha...
No doubt Rahane, Pujara, Rahul, why even Dhawan & Pant are well equipped but they will have to think like a team in line of how Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, etc. grouped in their times. In short batting lacked team spirit while pace bowling surprisingly for an India team plied like a well oiled unit. If only, atleast 2 and half batsmen per innings would have supported our bowling with Jadeja included from start, then, this team certainly would have been the best. But then, among pace-bowling, spin-bowling, fielding & batting, if only one clicked then, you can't win a 5 test series with 25% performance.
And team selection, well, it boasted of over confidence and whim of 1 or 2 people. Captain Virat Kohli would have matured more in this tour now. If this team has someone like Kirsten or Dravid at the helm then, it would be much different. Shastri has had his time. He did well for the first time to boost up the lunging shoulders. Thanks Ravi Shastri...words have to be implemented by players on the field.
factually, this was the best Indian Pace Bowling side to tour!!! Batting was one of the worst touring group while spin deptt. was a selection anomaly.
Batting in fact was like expecting a small rubber band of a 10 over T20 fame to extend beyond 80 overs.... It snapped for want of tenacity. Rather, it was like expecting a stand-up comedian to carry the entire 3 hour film. ha..ha..ha...
No doubt Rahane, Pujara, Rahul, why even Dhawan & Pant are well equipped but they will have to think like a team in line of how Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, etc. grouped in their times. In short batting lacked team spirit while pace bowling surprisingly for an India team plied like a well oiled unit. If only, atleast 2 and half batsmen per innings would have supported our bowling with Jadeja included from start, then, this team certainly would have been the best. But then, among pace-bowling, spin-bowling, fielding & batting, if only one clicked then, you can't win a 5 test series with 25% performance.
And team selection, well, it boasted of over confidence and whim of 1 or 2 people. Captain Virat Kohli would have matured more in this tour now. If this team has someone like Kirsten or Dravid at the helm then, it would be much different. Shastri has had his time. He did well for the first time to boost up the lunging shoulders. Thanks Ravi Shastri...words have to be implemented by players on the field.
Well, we realize that this cricket team to England had best pace bowling attack only, really pacers bowled super class. Batting has been below pathetic level.
(contd. Unfortunately Ashwin couldn't deliver next for fitness or whatever reasons while Moeen ali ran thru the Indian side and India lost golden opportunity to level the series 2-2.In the last and 5th test expectation were low but India to its credit came close to drawing and even winning it ! Given this sea-saw battle of fluctuating fortunes India certainly made some mark indeed but failing to cash in from position of strength to slip away unable to cross the line. Such occasional sparks would not have been possible but for the young side who have the potential to improve in due course of time. Perhaps Ravi Shastri meant something on these lines when he referred to India as best Indian side to tour England. Once India concentrates on batting I do not see why India can’t achieve in Aus what they failed to achieve in England. But the tour itinary with adequate practice matches etc are to be made for that.
Re: WITH THIS BATTING SHASTRI IS NOT RIGHT-II
by M IYER on Sep 14, 2018 10:44 AM
Veyr well said Mr. Mohan....factually, this was the best Indian Pace Bowling side to tour!!! Batting was one of the worst touring group while spin deptt. was a selection anomaly.
Batting in fact was like expecting a small rubber band of a 10 over T20 fame to extend beyond 80 overs.... It snapped for want of tenacity.
Ravi Shastri can certainly do with little modesty. Problem with these guys is their fat pay checks making them hide their disappointments with vanity. In fact before start of the tour Ravi Shastri and even many of us were confident India would win the series based on two factors. One, the best ever Indian pace attack to tour England and two, relatively weaker English batting side. Moreover no one expected Indian batting would cave in the way they did. In one sentence the Indian tour of England can be summarized as the unexpected Indian batting failure to cope with difficult English conditions. However there were other factors too which made the difference. On batting it was more a one man show of Virat which was not expected as much as seen. Next, somehow Virat got his playing wrong more often all through not necessarily decided by pitch but by external pressures like the one exerted before start of the series itself for opting for Kuldip ahead of Ashwin. So in a way Virat was under constant pressure to play Kuldip and unfortunately he did it in 2nd test of all the Test, possibly because it was Lords, to create history for Kuldip with rich haul at the historic ground!But it backfired. In fact either Kuldip or jadeja could have been the 2nd spinner in the 1st Test then India would have won. Then may be the entire series complexion would have changed. At Lords it was English all the way. At Nottingham Pandya was the match winner so he couldn't be dropped in the 4th test .
