How can India recover from the humiliation of the 1st Test defeat?

[MenInG]

3 more Tests to go in this tour.

===

Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha and young opener Prithvi Shaw are unlikely to be picked for the remaining Tests in Australia as India looks to ring in changes after the batting debacle in Adelaide.

It is understood that young Shubman Gill, after a couple of impressive knocks in the warm-up games, will be seen as a replacement for Shaw as Rohit Sharma will not be available until the third Test match in Sydney.

With Saha's batting not giving any confidence to the dressing room, the team management will certainly look at Pant, who had scored a hundred Down Under during his previous tour, as keeping might not be a factor on pitches with firm and even bounce.

KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj are the two others in fray to enter the playing XI and those would be forced changes due to the absence of skipper Virat Kohli and senior pacer, Mohammed Shami, who is out with a fractured wrist.

The 36-year-old Saha could well be running the last lap of his international career as a young and feisty Pant is set to be preferred by the team management over the next three Test matches and if he does well, against England, too.

As far as Saha is concerned, his inept batting in SENA countries hasn't gone unnoticed (he doesn't have a half-century there), but former chairman of selectors MSK Prasad said that during his regime, certain plans were chalked out on the Saha-Pant conundrum.

"Look, our committee was clear that Rishabh Pant will be our first choice keeper in places like England and Australia. Only when we are looking at matches in India where you don't need batting after number six most times, you can have a specialist keeper," Prasad told PTI on Sunday.

"I believe, Rishabh has worked on his fitness issues during the past month and looked in good touch during the pink-ball practice game. So I would agree with the team management if they give Rishabh a go for the next three Tests," Prasad said.

Shaw back to drawing board

As far as Shaw is concerned, everything that can go wrong has gone for the 21-year-old Mumbaikar, whose technique, temperament and overall attitude towards the game has raised some serious question marks in the corridors of Indian cricket.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/crick...le33377864.ece

[Ab Fan]

Are these changes confirmed or are expected to be made?

That's quite a few but I think it is inevitable.

Gill in, Shaw out
KL in, Kohli out
Pant in, Saha out
Siraj/Saini in, Shami out

That's 4. I will also play Jadeja in place of Vihari if Jaddu is fit. So, 5 for me because I am not too sure of a pace attack of Bumrah, Umesh and Saini/Siraj. So, will go with both spinners also. Hence, 5 changes for me.

[Mamoon]

They will “recover” just like how Australia “recovered” from getting dismissed for 49 in South Africa in 2011 and how England “recovered” from 58 all out in New Zealand in 2017 after being 27/9.

The moral of the story that it is not a big deal. There is nothing to recover from. No one cares about a useless record like the lowest score.

A defeat is a defeat whether you get out for 36, 49, 58 or 500.

India will move on and get it out of their system just like Australia and England did.

India will continue to win matches and series and occupy top 3 rankings while our fans will do hehe and haha from 6th and 7th positions in the table.

[ahmadharis1]

They will “recover” just like how Australia “recovered” from getting dismissed for 49 in South Africa in 2011 and how England “recovered” from 58 all out in New Zealand in 2017 after being 27/9.

The moral of the story that it is not a big deal. There is nothing to recover from. No one cares about a useless record like the lowest score.

A defeat is a defeat whether you get out for 36, 49, 58 or 500.

India will move on and get it out of their system just like Australia and England did.

India will continue to win matches and series and occupy top 3 rankings while our fans will do hehe and haha from 6th and 7th positions in the table.

Agreed. 36 all out, things happens. This is cricket, there are going to be horrendously bad days for all teams. No doubt in my mind that they'll recover. All this talk of India suddenly having a terrible batting side is moronic

[Mamoon]

Agreed. 36 all out, things happens. This is cricket, there are going to be horrendously bad days for all teams. No doubt in my mind that they'll recover. All this talk of India suddenly having a terrible batting side is moronic

You have to excuse certain fans who rarely get the chance to feel good at India’s expense because they are either thrashing us or beating teams that we usually lose to, so it is understandable to see them go overboard now.

[Abhilash93]

In the long term, they will definitely recover. But as far as this series is concerned, losing 2 key batsmen and 2 key bowlers is too much of a handicap to overcome after that crushing loss.

Its like Australia playing without Cummins, Hazlewood, Smith and Labuschagne.

[Technics 1210]

36 all out proves India's only test series win in Australia was a fluke in 2018. All the Aussie bowlers had to do now was bowl line and length - done. Remember, all other low scores were not by a team that boasted to be the best in the world, ever. The riches didn't pay off.

With Kohli departing, a whitewash is on the cards. Further proving India are not the away force in away matches like some of the deluded fans want us to believe.

Interesting stat, 36 all out was at the lowest RR at 2.5 an over, but was the quickest in terms of time require to complete innings. Complete utter embarrassment for a wannabe force of cricket. Hoax.

[Technics 1210]

This series was going to be a struggle, not because Kohli will be absent, but because Smith and Warner are present.

India's away image has been sealed. Fluke win in 2018, followed by a 36.

[Smudger]

Nothing will change. India will continue to get hammered in SENA and win at home.
Just hope they give Shaw another go. He will break Lara's 400 run record in Melbourne with a stick of rubarb. Just too much talent to handle.
Gill should be playing in the middle order. He is the best batsman in Asia without playing a test.

[CleverSir]

This will linger in their minds for a while. At the minimum for the rest of this tour there will be a small voice in the back of their minds constantly whispering "36". I think they'll be fine moving forward though.

[Robert]

This series was going to be a struggle, not because Kohli will be absent, but because Smith and Warner are present.

India's away image has been sealed. Fluke win in 2018, followed by a 36.

I expect India will go 0-2 down without Kohli.

[tyron_woodley]

This series was going to be a struggle, not because Kohli will be absent, but because Smith and Warner are present.

India's away image has been sealed. Fluke win in 2018, followed by a 36.

It wasn't a fluke. Everyone was at their best and in their absolute peaks when they faced Australia in 2018.

Smith, his daddy, his mother, Warner and wouldn't have changed sh*t. India would have killed them regardless that year..

Series is not even over yet.

India lost a PINK BALL test.

Let's see with the red ball and did I say that India were under strength?

[YousafTheBeast]

It wasn't a fluke. Everyone was at their best and in their absolute peaks when they faced Australia in 2018.

Smith, his daddy, his mother, Warner and wouldn't have changed sh*t. India would have killed them regardless that year..

Series is not even over yet.

India lost a PINK BALL test.

Let's see with the red ball and did I say that India were under strength?

So if we took away India’s 2 best batsmen Kohli and Pujara, India would’ve still won if Aus had Warner and Smith in the team?

[Convict]

They will “recover” just like how Australia “recovered” from getting dismissed for 49 in South Africa in 2011 and how England “recovered” from 58 all out in New Zealand in 2017 after being 27/9.

The moral of the story that it is not a big deal. There is nothing to recover from. No one cares about a useless record like the lowest score.

A defeat is a defeat whether you get out for 36, 49, 58 or 500.

India will move on and get it out of their system just like Australia and England did.

India will continue to win matches and series and occupy top 3 rankings while our fans will do hehe and haha from 6th and 7th positions in the table.

Australia took years to recover from that.
Of the Australian top six in that test, only Clarke and Watson were in the team for the 2013/14 Ashes.

[tyron_woodley]

So if we took away India’s 2 best batsmen Kohli and Pujara, India would’ve still won if Aus had Warner and Smith in the team?

That year the Indian team was in form. Even in games they lost they were very competitive and very close to winning most of the games. India would have beaten them that year with or without Smith and Warner.

Everything clicked.

Even now series isn't over yet. India is decimated by injuries but India won't back down. I wouldn't understimate even an under strength India.

Before the series started India and ere missing Ishant Bhuvi, pant and Gill who dint get picked despite performing 10 time sbetter than the other 2 wastrels in the tour games and in domestic season.

There is also losing jaddu. Pandya or jaddu over vihari amyday I have always said you need 5 bowlers for depth with 2 of them who can contribute with the bat.

This team could have been so much more stronger with the right selections.

Besides pink ball is weird. Random sessions can make life difficult for batsmen.

Let's see how the red ball unfolds

[angrypathan]

Very simple, they won't.

[happydavy]

What does recover even mean, if it means that they don't get out on 36 again, then they will recover fine. However, if recovery mean india winning a test match on this tour or posting a 400+ total in next match, then that ain't happening.

[Mamoon]

Australia took years to recover from that.
Of the Australian top six in that test, only Clarke and Watson were in the team for the 2013/14 Ashes.

Australia won the next Test. They didn’t even take a week to recover from the scars of the 47 all out and that is my point.

There is nothing to recover from because teams move on and get it out of their system. If it would have psychologically affected them they wouldn’t have out-batted South Africa in the next Test.

However, Australia’s batting lineup was weak at the time and they knew they had to reshuffle the top 6.

[MenInG]

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar wants KL Rahul to open in place of an out-of-form Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill to play in middle order in the second Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) starting December 26. India lost the opening Test by eight wickets, crumbling to their lowest-ever Test score of 36/9 during the debacle. "India will look at making two changes. Firstly, maybe KL Rahul should replace Prithvi Shaw as an opener. At No. 5 or No. 6, Shubman Gill should come in. His form has been good. Things can change if we start well," Gavaskar told YouTube channel Sports Tak.

He did caution that if India can't stay positive, a 0-4 drubbing might just be on cards. "India have to believe that they can come back in the remainder of the Test series. If India don't find the positivity, then 4-0 series loss can happen. But if they have positivity, why not? It can happen (comeback)," Gavaskar said.

"India should start the Melbourne Test well, it's necessary for them to step on to the ground with a lot of positivity. Australia's weak point is their batting," he added. Gavaskar feels that the anger among fans after the batting flop in the first Test is natural. "It's natural that there is anger after such a performance. But in cricket, anything can happen," he said. Gavaskar also rued missed catches that helped reduced India's first-innings lead to a mere 53. "Had we held on to our catches well and had good field placements, there might not have been any problem," he said.

"Tim Paine and Marnus Labuschagne would have gotten out early. We could have got a lead of 120 runs. Australia got ahead in the Tests because of those dropped catches. They got the lead down to 50 (53) runs," Gavaskar added.

https://sports.ndtv.com/australia-vs...mpression=true

[Hasan123]

India will recover from this. But with Kohli gone, things are going to get difficult. Fully expecting Australia to win the series.

[UzmanBeast]

It depends on whether or not the void left by Kohli is filled adequately.

It looks like Australia will dominate India, but who knows, maybe our desi brothers can pull something off.

[Buffet]

By playing well.

[MMHS]

Won't get all-out for 36, but won't save the Test either, unless it rains for 150+ overs. This is an aging Indian side, missing Kohli, Ishant, Shami and most of the players are in down slide. On contrary, Aussies are on high, squad peaking at the right time and they have forced their way out of jail in first Test ..... they are going to CRASH India in this series.

But, obviously 36 doesn't happen every decade ......

[The Viper]

India vs Australia: Will Rahul Dravid be flown to Australia? Rajeev Shukla answers

Soon to be officially elected as the vice-president of the BCCI, Rajeev Shukla has revealed that president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah have taken note of India’s poor performance against Australia in the first Test in Adelaide and are doing what is needed to ensure the team improves from here on.
India on Saturday were bowled out for 26 – their lowest-ever Test total as Australia won the first Test by eight wickets to go 1-0 up in the series.

Shukla, a former chairman of the Indian Premier League, revealed that the board members are not happy with India’s performance and its members are in touch with the team management in Australia regarding what needs to be done going forward.

“We are not happy. It was not a good score and we are really concerned. The BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah are concerned about it and both are working on some plans through which the performance can be improved. They will obviously be in touch with team management. I am quite optimistic and hopeful that in the next Test match we will definitely do better,” Shukla told ANI.

Shukla also gave an answer as to whether the BCCI has any plans of sending NCA (National Cricket Academy) chief Rahul Dravid to Australia to help India’s batsmen for the remaining three Tests. Following India’s shambolic batting collapse, former India batsman and chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar, in an interview, urged the BCCI to ‘rush’ Dravid, a successful former India A and Under-19 coach to Down Under, but Shukla cleared the air, saying no such decision has or will be taken.

“Nobody will be flown to Australia, our performance in the first innings against the hosts was good, we even took the lead but in the second innings we collapsed, it happens sometimes, after that all the corrective measures have been taken and I think our players are capable of improving the performance and they will definitely look at the wicket conditions in Melbourne and accordingly a composition of the squad will be worked up,” he added.

Shukla weighed in on Virat Kohli’s absence, saying the India captain’s void will be felt, but backed the Indian team to come back strong.

“Australian tour has always been a challenging tour and if you go by the earlier performance, it was very difficult to face the Aussie bowlers. Now the Indian team is showing a very brave front and they have started playing and making good runs in Australia. Virat’s absence will be there but other players are also very competent and I think the team will definitely do very well,” Shukla pointed out.

https://m.hindustantimes.com/cricket...BLbg1gK4L.html

[El Generico]

I think they will recover and in their next inning even without Kohli they should be able at least double their last score. If they play out of their skin then maybe even triple it.

[Romali_rotti]

I dont think Dropping Shaw is the right way to go, he is young and needs to learn. Didn't SRT have a few bad series after his debut vs Pakistan ? I would keep Shaw, my team for the G:

Shaw
Rahul
Rahane,
Pujara,
Gill,
Pant,
Jadeja,
Ashwin,
Bumrah,
Siraj,
Saini/Yadav

This will make it a competitive side, would have done very well if Indians can get away with a Draw at the G, most probably would lose.

[Ab Fan]

I dont think Dropping Shaw is the right way to go, he is young and needs to learn. Didn't SRT have a few bad series after his debut vs Pakistan ? I would keep Shaw, my team for the G:

Shaw
Rahul
Rahane,
Pujara,
Gill,
Pant,
Jadeja,
Ashwin,
Bumrah,
Siraj,
Saini/Yadav

This will make it a competitive side, would have done very well if Indians can get away with a Draw at the G, most probably would lose.

The problem is Shaw has basic technical flaws and Australians are getting him our after speaking that he will get him out this way. It's the most bizzare way of getting out.

Shaw should not play for India for next two years and his fans should look to find some other hero for hyping as next Tendulkar/Lara/Bradman/Viv.

[Colorblind Genius]

I think if India puts on a show of good fight in a losing cause, it will be a moral victory. And if they win the series (which most likely won’t happen) then it will the greatest surprise of the year.

The problem is that in the last two decades we almost always have this same theme. Home team almost always beats the visitors in Tests. There may be a few exceptions here n there.

This same exact Australian team, say wins the test series with 5-0 now, but if sent to India and play against the same exact Indian team, the Aussie team’s rear end will be thrashed quite nicely.

It does happen in Test cricket but it’s somewhat rare that a good visiting team beats a good home team in their own backyard.

[tyron_woodley]

Ye so agree. I am all for supporting Shaw. He is clearly talented but I have an issue with him. He keeps getting clean bowled. That's very strange indeed. I mean bouncers don't faze him but he gets out to these inswinging deliveries. So weird.

For now he needs a break. Gill should come through. Because this isn't the first time Shaw got out Bowles. It's been happening in IPl too.

[Romali_rotti]

The problem is Shaw has basic technical flaws and Australians are getting him our after speaking that he will get him out this way. It's the most bizzare way of getting out.

Shaw should not play for India for next two years and his fans should look to find some other hero for hyping as next Tendulkar/Lara/Bradman/Viv.

I was all for dropping Shaw earlier, however now that I think about it, it sends the wrong message. This is right of passage he needs to walk, play him for the whole series and see how he does. No point picking an aging Mayank who is 29 who also is doing bad, it is like picking Wridhi Mahaaan Swaha ahead of Pant..

[ShoaibM]

They will “recover” just like how Australia “recovered” from getting dismissed for 49 in South Africa in 2011 and how England “recovered” from 58 all out in New Zealand in 2017 after being 27/9.

The moral of the story that it is not a big deal. There is nothing to recover from. No one cares about a useless record like the lowest score.

A defeat is a defeat whether you get out for 36, 49, 58 or 500.

India will move on and get it out of their system just like Australia and England did.

India will continue to win matches and series and occupy top 3 rankings while our fans will do hehe and haha from 6th and 7th positions in the table.

Actually a lot of people care about low scores. Thats kind of the point of following sports.

To be honest i am new to the forum so will try to reserve judgement but my initial impression is you sound a lot more like an Indian cricket fan than a Pakistani. You arent having an identity crisis are you? Some rather cringe-worthy posts I've read already from you. Really sad if you have such a low opinion of yourself. For your sake I hope this is just a temporary phase and you make a full recovery at some point.

[happydavy]

The funny thing with many Indian and Pakistani fans is whenever their team looses badly, their first reaction is to blame selection of players. As if the reserve players would have won them the game. Many posters on this thread sharing their XI and making it sound as if Pant would have played instead of Saha or Gill instead of Shaw, India would have won the match. When overall quality of players is ordinary, selection changes would achieve zilch. India ain't winning anything, if they are able to avoid 4-0 then it itself would be an achievement.

[Ab Fan]

I was all for dropping Shaw earlier, however now that I think about it, it sends the wrong message. This is right of passage he needs to walk, play him for the whole series and see how he does. No point picking an aging Mayank who is 29 who also is doing bad, it is like picking Wridhi Mahaaan Swaha ahead of Pant..

Mayank is 29 and he is at his peak, 29 is not ageing, he has over 1000 runs at average of 50+ and has performed in Australia last time. His technique is tighter and more compact than Shaw, although he also has a weakness but he clearly looked far more fluent.

Dropping Mayank is crime at this point. He has got a 200 at home against Rabada and co and performed in Australia last time as well. Of course, it's always about that one delivery that gets you out but in case of Shaw, that one delivery seems to be happening in every over. He is mentally broken and it's best for him only that he stays away for some time, sorts his technique and then comes back. Also, need to work on his fitness. He seems to be ageing faster than Mayank irrespective of their ages.

Saha is 36 and Mayank is 29, so the difference in their age is massive and non-comparable.

[Mamoon]

Actually a lot of people care about low scores. Thats kind of the point of following sports.

To be honest i am new to the forum so will try to reserve judgement but my initial impression is you sound a lot more like an Indian cricket fan than a Pakistani. You arent having an identity crisis are you? Some rather cringe-worthy posts I've read already from you. Really sad if you have such a low opinion of yourself. For your sake I hope this is just a temporary phase and you make a full recovery at some point.

Useless records like lowest score or highest score is not the point. The point is winning games of cricket, and that is why you are remembered for.

If teams cared about these useless records, Australia wouldn’t have declared on 589/3 against hapless Pakistani bowling last year. They were flogging our pathetic bowling at a run rate of 4.6, and if they really cared, they could have chased the all-time highest Test total record (952) and they would still have enough time win the game comfortably.

This generation of Indian team will be remembered for the longest reign at the top of the rankings in the 2010 decade and for Kohli amassing most wins by an Asian captain ever (33), and no amount of whining and downplaying by Pakistani fans will change that.

Pakistan would happily get out for 20 runs in Australia if it means spending more time at the top of ICC rankings than anyone else in the 2020 decade, and for Babar to win more Tests as an Asian captain than anyone else.

Unfortunately, we don’t remotely have the talent and the skill to achieve all of this, so the only thing we can do is laugh and mock those who are far better than us.

India’s cricket failures towers over the success of Pakistan cricket today. They will have to lose every single Test in Australia until 2040 to reach Pakistan’s level in Australia. That says it all.

You are right about the fact that I am not a Pakistan cricket fan. I am a cricket aficionado but unfortunately, I was born in Pakistan. In international sports, you do not get to pick and choose which teams you support; you can only support the country team that you belong to.

If I was lucky enough to not be a Pakistani, the Pakistan cricket team would have been the last team in the world that I would care about.

Pakistan cricket is the poster boy of mediocrity. I despite our cricket culture - the way we view our team, the way we glorify our rubbish “talent”, the perception that we have of our abilities and potential, the way we identify our problems, the solutions that we provide, the way we assess other teams. It is all nonsense.

Among all cricket teams in the world, Pakistan has the biggest gap between the expectations of the fans and the actual capability of the team.

We are the most ignorant cricket nation in the world. Our fans, players, ex-players, media, analysts, coaches, selectors etc. none of them understand cricket. We are not very good at cricket, but when it comes to being delusional and living in denial, we are in a league of our own.

The unprofessional setup of our cricket, the body language of our players, their personalities, their embarrassing communication skills - everything is so mediocre.

Pakistan is the only cricket nation that celebrates inconsistency and rebrands it as “unpredictability” and “cornered tigers” mentality which is nothing but a load of nonsense.

You can call it self-hatred if you want, but it is what it is.

However, you wrong about the assumption that I am an Indian cricket fan. As I explained above, in international sports, you cannot pick and choose which team(s) you can support.

Nevertheless, it is indeed true that I am huge admirer of Indian cricket culture. Just because I am unfortunate to be a Pakistani it doesn’t mean that I should shy away from admitting the fact that Pakistan is abysmal and Indian cricket is miles ahead of us in all facets of the game.

There is a lot to admire about the way Indian cricket has transformed in the 21st century and they way they have become one of the big boys in cricket while Pakistan has only gone backwards and is not in the league of “small” teams like West Indies, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Of course, it has a lot to do with the the economic power of India and their positive global reputation. On the other hand, Pakistan has had a fragile, regressive economy and a terror-stricken nation with dangerous reputation.

I am not interested in playing the victim card here because our problems are self-inflicted, but there is no doubt it has crippled the development and growth of cricket in Pakistan.

I wish to see Pakistan have the same status as big teams like India, Australia and England, play 4 and 5 Test match series with these sides instead of being reduced to 2 Test warmup series, and basically have the clout of a powerhouse cricket nation.

However, we will never reach that level unless we do a factory reset and change our cricket culture and mentality which is rotten to the core.

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

36 is not a normal number now. It has become a brand. Will never forget it. I am sure those who have watched that match live will also not forget it. Now everytime I see any number with 36 in it, my mind goes back to that match for a second.

[Titan24]

India has been a top team for quite a few years now and that doesnt happen if you cant lift yourself after a a bad defeat. I think Indian players and management will be mentally strong enough to overcome the disappointment of the last match and at least not allowing that to be the factor that can impact their game.

[KoyoAli]

Stay on the topic and don't derail the thread. Any more personal attacks and action will be taken

[Mesozoic]

Although extremely rare, these kind of freakish collapses do happen and top teams will always find ways to come back strong.

Australia were 47/9 against England three months after they were crowned world champions....but went on to win the next test at the oval comprehensively.

England were 27/9 against New Zealand a couple of years back but were only 2 wickets away from a win in their next game.

Ofcourse it'd be extremely hard for India to replicate these without Kohli, Ishant and now Shami out with injury.....but I think we will still do a lot better than people here are expecting us to. Won't be surprised if we draw or heck...even win one of the games at Mel/Syd.

[Mobashir]

Ye so agree. I am all for supporting Shaw. He is clearly talented but I have an issue with him. He keeps getting clean bowled. That's very strange indeed. I mean bouncers don't faze him but he gets out to these inswinging deliveries. So weird.

For now he needs a break. Gill should come through. Because this isn't the first time Shaw got out Bowles. It's been happening in IPl too.

He was bounced out quite a few times in NZ if I remember correctly. Here he didn't gave Australia the time to bounce him so far.

[Saurav]

I was all for dropping Shaw earlier, however now that I think about it, it sends the wrong message. This is right of passage he needs to walk, play him for the whole series and see how he does. No point picking an aging Mayank who is 29 who also is doing bad, it is like picking Wridhi Mahaaan Swaha ahead of Pant..

29 is ageing?

[Saurav]

Ye so agree. I am all for supporting Shaw. He is clearly talented but I have an issue with him. He keeps getting clean bowled. That's very strange indeed. I mean bouncers don't faze him but he gets out to these inswinging deliveries. So weird.

For now he needs a break. Gill should come through. Because this isn't the first time Shaw got out Bowles. It's been happening in IPl too.

He has a technical flaw which will be exploited easily.So its for his benefit to drop him to allow him to work on his game in Ranjis and A tours

Hes still very young

[zamana]

They will “recover” just like how Australia “recovered” from getting dismissed for 49 in South Africa in 2011 and how England “recovered” from 58 all out in New Zealand in 2017 after being 27/9.

The moral of the story that it is not a big deal. There is nothing to recover from. No one cares about a useless record like the lowest score.

A defeat is a defeat whether you get out for 36, 49, 58 or 500.

India will move on and get it out of their system just like Australia and England did.

India will continue to win matches and series and occupy top 3 rankings while our fans will do hehe and haha from 6th and 7th positions in the table.

The Indian batting is proficient on their own surfaces but are inconsistent on fast and bouncy tracks. This is not a random performance but a reflection of their struggles in foreign surroundings. It is going to be an uphill struggle in this series. The term " Flat track bullies " is applicable. Their ranking is higher because of the greater matches they play, a lot of them being at home. If they had to contend with the travails of isolation, I don't think they would have fared as well as us. Give our team the opportunity of playing on home grounds , competitive domestic cricket, more frequent tours for the Test and A teams and develop the current system and we will see wonderful results. They have all the potential! Stay positive. Your pessimism is pathologic!

[Romali_rotti]

29 is ageing?

Yah, when compared to Shaw it is, he will be out of the side in a matter of 4 more years.

[jeeteshssaxena]

Won't get all-out for 36, but won't save the Test either, unless it rains for 150+ overs. This is an aging Indian side, missing Kohli, Ishant, Shami and most of the players are in down slide. On contrary, Aussies are on high, squad peaking at the right time and they have forced their way out of jail in first Test ..... they are going to CRASH India in this series.

But, obviously 36 doesn't happen every decade ......

I don’t really think that their batsman are on peak, bowling definitely but not batting.
Actually i was quite surprised by the fact that australia conceeded a lead in the first inning.
I still think we can win one, on flat pitches like SCG and MCG you just need to win the toss and bat first , i think that Rahul(peak) and Gill are good enough to score runs .

Shami didn’t even take a single wicket out of 12 , so if Ashwin continues his performance we can handle australia.

[MMHS]

I don’t really think that their batsman are on peak, bowling definitely but not batting.
Actually i was quite surprised by the fact that australia conceeded a lead in the first inning.
I still think we can win one, on flat pitches like SCG and MCG you just need to win the toss and bat first , i think that Rahul(peak) and Gill are good enough to score runs .

Shami didn’t even take a single wicket out of 12 , so if Ashwin continues his performance we can handle australia.

There are duel impact - first, Aussies matched by India’s 20 wickets total for 12 wickets without any contributions from Smith & a little from Labus, and they were without Warner. Even if Warner doesn’t make it, Smith & Labus will make up their numbers - I’ll be surprised if at least one of them doesn’t get a hundred at MCG.

Second impact is Indian bowling - it’ll be without Shami & Ishant. Combined innings, on a typical MCG wicket, I don’t see how India can restrict Aussies below 600 - that’ll be more than enough.

[Slim]

This defeat at least sealed the fact that 2018 series win in Australia by India was a fluke. A circumstantial fluke due to them playing a short handed Australia. Against full strength Australia, they have no leg to stand on. Have brought back Indian fans to earth.

[jeeteshssaxena]

There are duel impact - first, Aussies matched by India’s 20 wickets total for 12 wickets without any contributions from Smith & a little from Labus, and they were without Warner. Even if Warner doesn’t make it, Smith & Labus will make up their numbers - I’ll be surprised if at least one of them doesn’t get a hundred at MCG.

Second impact is Indian bowling - it’ll be without Shami & Ishant. Combined innings, on a typical MCG wicket, I don’t see how India can restrict Aussies below 600 - that’ll be more than enough.

I still think you are overrating them. Warner is out of the second test, so basically we need to get one of smith and labu for less than 50 and that will make sure that they wont get anywhere near 500 let alone 600.
Even if we consider that smith and labu combine to make 200 , the others aren’t good enough to score 400.On flat pitches if we go with gill ,rahul,jadeja and pant we won’t end up with less than 350
Lets see how it goes.

[jeeteshssaxena]

This defeat at least sealed the fact that 2018 series win in Australia by India was a fluke. A circumstantial fluke due to them playing a short handed Australia. Against full strength Australia, they have no leg to stand on. Have brought back Indian fans to earth.

We aren’t at full strength this time just like the aussies in 18, so this shows nothing.

[Hitman]

This defeat at least sealed the fact that 2018 series win in Australia by India was a fluke. A circumstantial fluke due to them playing a short handed Australia. Against full strength Australia, they have no leg to stand on. Have brought back Indian fans to earth.

So us playing without our full strength this time hold no value, but the Aussies playing without their full strength back then means everything?

[Mesozoic]

This defeat at least sealed the fact that 2018 series win in Australia by India was a fluke. A circumstantial fluke due to them playing a short handed Australia. Against full strength Australia, they have no leg to stand on. Have brought back Indian fans to earth.

Do you even know what a fluke means?

India would beat that Australian team anywhere 8/10 times if we're at full strength like we were back then. That same "short handed" Aussie team would have smashed the living daylights out of teams like Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Windies etc.... They actually did smash an impressive SL side which went onto thrash SAF in SAF. The same SAF who thrashed Pak 3-0

[MenInG]

David Warner and Sean Abbott ruled out of second Vodafone Test in Melbourne

David Warner and Sean Abbott will rejoin the Australian men’s Test squad ahead of the third Vodafone Test against India.

Warner and Abbott spent time in Sydney outside the team’s bio-secure hub to recover from injury. While neither player has been in a specific ‘hotspot’ as outlined by NSW Health, Cricket Australia’s bio-security protocols do not allow them to rejoin the squad in time for the Boxing Day Test.

Warner has not fully recovered from a groin injury suffered in the Dettol ODI Series against India and would not have been available for the second Vodafone Test match, while Abbott has recovered from a calf strain sustained during Australia A’s tour match against India and would have been available for selection for the Boxing Day Test.

The pair travelled from Sydney to Melbourne to continue their rehabilitation given the changing public health situation in Sydney at the time.

No additional players will be added to the squad for the Boxing Day Test.

[Mobashir]

We aren’t at full strength this time just like the aussies in 18, so this shows nothing.

In the first test you were missing Ishant Sharma and they were missing David Warner.

[Mesozoic]

So us playing without our full strength this time hold no value, but the Aussies playing without their full strength back then means everything?

We have got to be a bit reasonable here.

Just imagine your arch rival going to a country where your own team has been humiliated for two and a half decades with a 100% losing record and then they win the whole freaking series. It's gotta be tough.so all this jumping around is pretty much expected.

[King_Kohli]

There will be no recovery.
This series already done and dusted.

[ahmadharis1]

People calling 2018 series win a fluke as if David Warner's right arm rubbish and Steve Smith's loopy leg spin would have stopped them from scoring runs lmaoo

[jeeteshssaxena]

In the first test you were missing Ishant Sharma and they were missing David Warner.

Ishant, Jadeja and Rohit.
We were missing three main players.

[jeeteshssaxena]

What full strength? Australia was without Warner and you didnt have Ishant (which is not really a strength lmao) First test against a full Aussie side, and your team gets thoroughly humiliated by scoring the lowest score in their history. If this wasnt caught with pants down situation, then i dont know what is.

You are extremely deluded if you think your hapless team is any match to a full strength Australia. No wonder the only series victory came against Australia C. This will be further substantiated when you will have a series defeat and get further humiliated.

Enjoy the fluke series win, make a DVD out of it because thats the only time you will ever win a series in Australia.

Hell, i have not even started on England, your regular getting hammered place.

The victory in 2018 will always come with an asterisk and you cant help it - a fluke.

Ishant Sharma is not a strength. Lol
He is still better than any test bowler pakistan has as of now.
The only one who comes close spent more time in jail than on cricket field.

Secondly Jadeja was a big miss and so was Rohit.

[tyron_woodley]

What full strength? Australia was without Warner and you didnt have Ishant (which is not really a strength lmao) First test against a full Aussie side, and your team gets thoroughly humiliated by scoring the lowest score in their history. If this wasnt caught with pants down situation, then i dont know what is.

You are extremely deluded if you think your hapless team is any match to a full strength Australia. No wonder the only series victory came against Australia C. This will be further substantiated when you will have a series defeat and get further humiliated.

Enjoy the fluke series win, make a DVD out of it because thats the only time you will ever win a series in Australia.

Hell, i have not even started on England, your regular getting hammered place.

The victory in 2018 will always come with an asterisk and you cant help it - a fluke.

In2018 Aussie would have got spanked by India regardless even if Warner and Smith played. India were in red hot form. Would have laid them out flat like a door mat regardless who played that year.

[happydavy]

Our win against Australia in 2018 was not even close to as big a deal as Kohli and Co would like us to believe. Forget everything else, even BCCI head Sourav Ganguly himself admitted that in an interview when he said that 2018 series victory wasn't against the best Australian team. At the same time, it still counted and is a proud record to have for us.

However, the reason that record doesn't get much recognition is because we haven't won anything else, we even lost 2-0 to new Zealand, which is the weakest of SENA countries. Kohli & Shastri want us to believe that it wasn't a flash in the pan, then prove it though quite frankly the time to prove it has already passed. You keep loosing series after series even after repeatedly touring these countries more often than any asian team, and you have the audacity to call a series victory against depleted Aus side as bigger than 1983 WC victory.

[tyron_woodley]

Our win against Australia in 2018 was not even close to as big a deal as Kohli and Co would like us to believe. Forget everything else, even BCCI head Sourav Ganguly himself admitted that in an interview when he said that 2018 series victory wasn't against the best Australian team. At the same time, it still counted and is a proud record to have for us.

However, the reason that record doesn't get much recognition is because we haven't won anything else, we even lost 2-0 to new Zealand, which is the weakest of SENA countries. Kohli & Shastri want us to believe that it wasn't a flash in the pan, then prove it though quite frankly the time to prove it has already passed. You keep loosing series after series even after repeatedly touring these countries more often than any asian team, and you have the audacity to call a series victory against depleted Aus side as bigger than 1983 WC victory.

That year even if Warner and Smith played, Aussies would have lost that series. India were in form and everyone peaked at the right time.
Sorry to burst your bubble.

[happydavy]

That year even if Warner and Smith played, Aussies would have lost that series. India were in form and everyone peaked at the right time.
Sorry to burst your bubble.

You should be sorry for having an opinion but with no substance. The same year, when "India were in form", India lost to England 4-1 and SA 2-1.

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Ishant, Jadeja and Rohit.
We were missing three main players.

Well according to your dear friend @Mesozoic missing Rohit in tests was a blessing in disguise? We were playing our full strength batting in the first test whereas Australia was once again missing Warner. The only player we were missing was Ishant and you can thank IPL for that. I was right few months ago that fans will use this excuse after we start losing.

[tyron_woodley]

You should be sorry for having an opinion but with no substance. The same year, when "India were in form", India lost to England 4-1 and SA 2-1.

You can shove your opinion of substance up someone. I don't care to be honest. India were winning that time regardless.

Did u even watch those 2 series'. They were all close game barring one or 2. Toss made a huge difference in those series.

India were coming in red hot form with the bowling.

Btw did you know India missed several key players during the England series as well. Bumrah missed the first 2. Buvi din't even play. Our best swing bowler.
We had a makeshift opening pair.

India were beating Australia regardless whether Smith, his mum or Warner's wife along with Warner played. Even if Sonny Bill was part of their team with Warner it wouldn't make a difference. India were beating them that year. Look at the scores.

They absolutely hammered this exact same choot bowling lineup of this year in 2018.i

India were just at their peak at that stage.
Loss to England and a close loss to South Africa makes no difference. I did goes for the kill or gets killed. It's normal. Smith or Warner ain't doing sh*t that year vs those bowlers at their peak.

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

You should be sorry for having an opinion but with no substance. The same year, when "India were in form", India lost to England 4-1 and SA 2-1.

Exactly this. We were lucky we played against an Australian team without Warner and Smith. These fans don't understand the importance of players like Smith's and Warner's presence in the team can automatically life the morale of the team. They will understand this once India plays without Kohli and how weak this team will look in the remaining tests.

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

You can shove your opinion of substance up someone. I don't care to be honest. India were winning that time regardless.

Did u even watch those 2 series'. They were all close game barring one or 2. Toss made a huge difference in those series.

India were coming in red hot form with the bowling.

Btw did you know India missed several key players during the England series as well. Bumrah missed the first 2. Buvi din't even play. Our best swing bowler.
We had a makeshift opening pair.

India were beating Australia regardless whether Smith, his mum or Warner's wife along with Warner played. Even if Sonny Bill was part of their team with Warner it wouldn't make a difference. India were beating them that year. Look at the scores.

They absolutely hammered this exact same choot bowling lineup of this year in 2018.i

India were just at their peak at that stage.
Loss to England and a close loss to South Africa makes no difference. I did goes for the kill or gets killed. It's normal. Smith or Warner ain't doing sh*t that year vs those bowlers at their peak.

Aur khelo IPL lol. Who asked them to play those useless pyjama matches. This is why I am against these leagues. First you IPL fans defend these players when they are playing IPL and then when we lose abroad you bring these excuses. Who is looking like a fool here now?

[subshakerz]

They will “recover” just like how Australia “recovered” from getting dismissed for 49 in South Africa in 2011 and how England “recovered” from 58 all out in New Zealand in 2017 after being 27/9.

The moral of the story that it is not a big deal. There is nothing to recover from. No one cares about a useless record like the lowest score.

A defeat is a defeat whether you get out for 36, 49, 58 or 500.

India will move on and get it out of their system just like Australia and England did.

India will continue to win matches and series at home and occupy top 3 rankings while our fans will do hehe and haha from 6th and 7th positions in the table.

Corrected.

[happydavy]

You can shove your opinion of substance up someone. I don't care to be honest. India were winning that time regardless.

Did u even watch those 2 series'. They were all close game barring one or 2. Toss made a huge difference in those series.

India were coming in red hot form with the bowling.

Btw did you know India missed several key players during the England series as well. Bumrah missed the first 2. Buvi din't even play. Our best swing bowler.
We had a makeshift opening pair.

India were beating Australia regardless whether Smith, his mum or Warner's wife along with Warner played. Even if Sonny Bill was part of their team with Warner it wouldn't make a difference. India were beating them that year. Look at the scores.

They absolutely hammered this exact same choot bowling lineup of this year in 2018.i

India were just at their peak at that stage.
Loss to England and a close loss to South Africa makes no difference. I did goes for the kill or gets killed. It's normal. Smith or Warner ain't doing sh*t that year vs those bowlers at their peak.

If filth, grandiose and low intellect could win a series, then you should be captaining India instead of Rahane. Filth because you brought in someone's wife in discussion about men cricket, which reflects your upbringing, grandiose because your post is still devoid of any substance and low intellect because last i checked Sonny Bill was a rugby player so not sure how that made any sense to a game of cricket.

and btw i don't doubt your honesty, i am sure you honestly think that India would have won, its the knowledge and intelligence that your honest feelings lack.

[tyron_woodley]

If filth, grandiose and low intellect could win a series, then you should be captaining India instead of Rahane. Filth because you brought in someone's wife in discussion about men cricket, which reflects your upbringing, grandiose because your post is still devoid of any substance and low intellect because last i checked Sonny Bill was a rugby player so not sure how that made any sense to a game of cricket.

and btw i don't doubt your honesty, i am sure you honestly think that India would have won, its the knowledge and intelligence that your honest feelings lack.

Whether Smith played or Warner played, India would have won that series. Don't talk about Intelligence when you are a complete noob in cricket. You sound like a delusional autosomal recessive idiot when you try to insult me.

Knowledge. Don't bring up knowledge in cricket. Most fans here are too dumb to have a proper conversation about cricket which includes you.
There is absolutely no reason to believe that Smith and Warner would have made a difference. India put up big scores and they won crucial tosses in RED ball cricket. Not pink. Red ball. India also missed several players due to injuries in England which contributed to our series loss. India also had all our pace bowlers in peak condtion.

No team was beating them during that phase. Everything was in sync.

[Slim]

If filth, grandiose and low intellect could win a series, then you should be captaining India instead of Rahane. Filth because you brought in someone's wife in discussion about men cricket, which reflects your upbringing, grandiose because your post is still devoid of any substance and low intellect because last i checked Sonny Bill was a rugby player so not sure how that made any sense to a game of cricket.

and btw i don't doubt your honesty, i am sure you honestly think that India would have won, its the knowledge and intelligence that your honest feelings lack.

I havent seen such a respectful, well articulated take down since quite a while. Massive respect. I will only say to those people with fake dreams of grandeur to look past the series win against Australia C, 4-1 defeat against England, and then a series defeat against kiwis.

[Slim]

Its time some indian fans wake up and smell the coffee - the series win in 2018 was a fluke, and honestly i see why you should still be proud of it but that doesnt reflect the actual quality of the team.

[tyron_woodley]

I havent seen such a respectful, well articulated take down since quite a while. Massive respect. I will only say to those people with fake dreams of grandeur to look past the series win against Australia C, 4-1 defeat against England, and then a series defeat against kiwis.

Australia C would pummel your team, englund and n.z at home.
Even Australia A wouldnt have won in 2018 vs that Indian team. India actually had makeshift openers and still won.

Massive repsect to you too my brother.

Keep sucking up to Sena like sychophants like the peasant above. You guys will get there one day. No wonder Pakistan is where it is at the moment.

[tyron_woodley]

Its time some indian fans wake up and smell the coffee - the series win in 2018 was a fluke, and honestly i see why you should still be proud of it but that doesnt reflect the actual quality of the team.

Smell your butt and eat your biryani after wiping your butt. Maybe then you will realise that india's best team would have won that year vs Aussies best team regardless.
Makes no difference. India were in good form. All.players peaked at the right time. India would have spanked their full team no matter what.

Mind you India played short format series before a major test series. Imagine if they actually prepapred solely for a test series like Aussies did in 2017. Lmao. Just think. Use your brain. Oh wait there is nothing up there.

Now that Pakistan is playing rubbish T20 before a test series vs n.z, they are very likely to get hammered too.

[Slim]

Would request the mods to not delete all posts to keep the conversation intact and only delete the last two deranged posts from our dear poster who seems to have lost his marbles.

[tyron_woodley]

Would request the mods to not delete all posts to keep the conversation intact and only delete the last two deranged posts from our dear poster who seems to have lost his marbles.

Would request mods to send you to a concentration camp. You need to learn some discipline and manners. That's your way of trying to attempt to win an argument. You are too inept and demented to comment anything useful.

You, Choudhary who is probably invisible gujjar and this other autistic cretin who sounds exactly like you. What's his face. Can't remember that idiot's name.

[Slim]

Would request mods to send you to a concentration camp. You need to learn some discipline and manners. That's your way of trying to attempt to win an argument. You are too inept and demented to comment anything useful.

You, Choudhary who is probably invisible gujjar and this other autistic cretin who sounds exactly like you. What's his face. Can't remember that idiot's name.

Put the bottle down, buddy.

[jeeteshssaxena]

Well according to your dear friend @Mesozoic missing Rohit in tests was a blessing in disguise? We were playing our full strength batting in the first test whereas Australia was once again missing Warner. The only player we were missing was Ishant and you can thank IPL for that. I was right few months ago that fans will use this excuse after we start losing.

Nah, we were missing Ishant, Jadeja and Rohit Sharma. All three have a fixed spot in the team.
I don't care what some poster said, if these three players were fit they would have played the first match. That's it.
Secondly, If ishant sharma being injured is an excuse then Warner and Smith's absence is also an excuse. Atleast Sharma didn't cheat, he got injured while playing cricket.

[jeeteshssaxena]

Its time some indian fans wake up and smell the coffee - the series win in 2018 was a fluke, and honestly i see why you should still be proud of it but that doesnt reflect the actual quality of the team.

We both have our fair share of fluke victories.

[jeeteshssaxena]

I still think we can pull one victory and that will be more than enough.
Lets see how it goes.

[Mesozoic]

Its time some indian fans wake up and smell the coffee - the series win in 2018 was a fluke, and honestly i see why you should still be proud of it but that doesnt reflect the actual quality of the team.

No Indian fan (except a very few passionate ones like our own tyron woodley bro) have ever hyped that win as some world conquering feat because most of us actually know the limitations of this team thanks to those losses in SAF, England and earlier this year in New Zealand. You can check Reddit or some other Indian forums before the current series and you'll see them not rating that (2018) win at all and ridiculing shastri for comparing it to the '83 wc win.

But on the other side of the coin, calling it a "fluke" isn't right too because India would beat that particular team 8/10 times anywhere in the world.

[tyron_woodley]

No Indian fan (except a very few passionate ones like our own tyron woodley bro) have ever hyped that win as some world conquering feat because most of us actually know the limitations of this team thanks to those losses in SAF, England and earlier this year in New Zealand. You can check Reddit or some other Indian forums before the current series and you'll see them not rating that (2018) win at all and ridiculing shastri for comparing it to the '83 wc win.

But on the other side of the coin, calling it a "fluke" isn't right too because India would beat that particular team 8/10 times anywhere in the world.

India would beat current Aussie team in 2018.

Series at the moment not over yet. Even under strength India can beat problem