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Sehwag, Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Sachin, Vishy, Laxman, Kapil, Dhoni/Kirmani - that's a pretty handy #8. If Dhoni is in, Kapil goes to #8 and if Kirmani is in, Kapil goes to #7.
Kumble selects himself as a bowler. With two remaining slots, Bedi/Prasanna and Srinath/Zaheer take the remaining slot. So, roughly,
Sehwag, Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Sachin, Vishy, Laxman, Kapil, Dhoni/Kirmani, Kumble, Zaheer, Prasanna.
You can replace Kumble with Bedi/Chandra, too, and there wont be much difference.
Yeah, I guess I'll take Kamran as a batsman over Umar Amin, Shoaib Malik etc. Yousuf is a great batsman, but his influence on the team is always questionable - like Malik, he is a destabilizer. I think Pak has to take a decision and move away from the fratricide that Yousuf, Younis, Malik, Afridi are indulging in. In that sense I am ok with Amin, Azhar Ali etc. but there also, Kamran can play as a batsman at #5.Quote:
Originally Posted by Movie Cop
Besides this, I have a great opinion of Yasir Hameed, a promising opener a few moons ago but disappeared into the great black hole that is Pakistani Cricket. Good to see him back in the squad, and hope he makes it to the team.
Plum, the list is batting heavy (like all Indian teams). I have no doubt this team will do very well in sub-continental conditions. Batsmen pile up the runs, Zaheer/Kapil do initial damage and Kumble/Prasanna to finish it off. But what about outside the subcontinent? Since we have such a strong batting line-up, shouldn't we think of picking an extra bowler (pace) so that we can take wickets? IMO Kapil may not be an out and out strike bowler in that respect (contentious) and we would definitely need another fast bowler apart from Zaheer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Plum
The purpose of selecting an all-rounder is to allow us to play the extra batsman or bowler. If the team has quality batsmen then we pick an extra bowler and vice versa. Looking at the list, I would say the bowling is relatively weak (compared to other countries' best XIs). So if Kapil is playing he should be playing No. 6 and Dhoni/Kirmani at No. 7. Then we can pick 4 bowlers (2 fast, 2 spin) so that the team can cope with all the different pitches and challenges and take 20 wickets.
Flintoff did the all-rounder's role beautifully in Ashes 2005 and England played 4 bowlers + Flintoff so they could attack, attack and attack some more. Personally I think that should be the sort of role to be given to Kapil.
puLi, you have a point. I guess we should select a 16 and say, the 11 depends on the conditions.
Openers - Sehwag, Gavaskar, Gambhir/Sidhu(Reserve Opener)
Middle Order - Sachin, Dravid, Vishy, Lax
Wk - Kirmani, Dhoni
Spinners- Bedi, Kumble, Prasanna, Chandra/another medium pacer
Medium Pace - Kapil, Zaheer, Srinath, Another Medium pacer/Chandra
An alternative squad is to eliminate the reserve opener by selecting a keeper who can open. This gives an extra bowling option in the squad:
Openers - Sehwag, Gavaskar
Middle Order - Sachin, Dravid, Vishy, Lax
Wk - Kirmani, Engineer
Spinners- Bedi, Kumble, Prasanna, Chandra
Medium Pace - Kapil, Zaheer, Srinath, Another Medium pacer
The English sure know how to defend their culprits
room pOdAmalE epdi ellAm yOsikkarAingappA! :rotfl:Quote:
Originally Posted by Graeme Swann
I wont be surprised at all if ICC takes this view and pardons Broad. Watch out in the future for a 5 match ban on puny Parthiv Patel if he does the same - ofcourse, we cant argue that he is too puny to hurt anyone by throwing balls at them. Ofcourse, if we question this, we are frustrated brown men seething in inferiority complex. Eh?
அகலத்தாரையும், அவரை காப்பாற்ற முனையும் அன்னரையும் கண்டிக்கிறேன்.
பொதுக்குழுவுல வச்சு சொல்லியாச்சுப்பா....
இருந்தாலும் செகப்பா இருக்குறவன் பொய் சொல்ல மாட்டான்னு தோணுது...எதுக்கும் வீடியோவை பார்ப்போம்
:lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by P_R
:) Selecting 16 is the easier option, Plum. But Cricinfo selects 11, so I will give a shot at 11.Quote:
Originally Posted by Plum
Sehwag, Gavaskar, Dravid, Sachin, Laxman (Vishy terribly unlucky to miss out), Kapil, Kirmani, Kumble, Bedi, Zaheer, Srinath.
Kirmani - WK's first job is to keep wickets. Agreed that the runs he scores can change a game (a la Gilchrist), but if his keeping is not upto scratch then the team is in trouble. Another point is that Dhoni is still relatively new to Test cricket. So maybe after he plays a lot more matches and scores a heap of runs then he can make a strong case for selection.
Bedi - This was close one as he had to contend with Prasanna and Chandra. Chandra got eliminated on the sole reason that Kumble is an automatic selection (they are very similar bowlers and we need someone who can actually spin the ball). Compared to Prasanna, Bedi has the numbers (Test and First class wickets and average).
Zaheer - Reflects the bare cupboard in the fast bowling department. Couldn't think of anybody else.
Vishy - I have read so much about him being a true artist and the joy he brings to spectators. His average is a bit lower than Laxman since he played at the age of mighty bowling attacks. But Laxman has also made runs against some very good bowling attacks and is very calm under pressure. And since we can select only 3, Vishy misses out.
Broad has been a repeat offender. His father Chris Broad was also a similar character and later turned into a match referee ( :lol: ). Maybe Stuey was taught how to do it without getting caught.Quote:
Originally Posted by Plum