New Zealand tour of India, 2012

[jaydeep]

Two tests and 2 T20 matches will be played.

1st Test - India v New Zealand - Aug 23 - Aug 27 - Hyderabad

2nd Test - India v New Zealand - Aug 31 - Sep 4 - Bangalore

1st T20I - India v New Zealand - Sep 8 - Visakhapatnam

2nd T20I - India v New Zealand - Sep 11 - Chennai

[jaydeep]

Daniel Vettori has been ruled out due to a groin injury ... The offspinner Jeetan Patel has been recalled and the allrounder James Franklin has also been included.

New Zealand Team - Martin Guptill, Daniel Flynn, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor (Capt), Kane Williamson, BJ Watling, James Franklin, Kruger van Wyk, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult, Tarun Nethula, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin.

[PKBasu]

The Indian team will be picked on Friday (Aug 10th).

My guess: Dhoni (cap), Sehwag, Gambhir, Kohli, Tendulkar, Laxman, Pujara, Irfan Pathan, Ashwin, Ojha, Yadav, Zaheer, Manoj Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha.

If Zaheer is unfit, Praveen Kumar should be picked. If Sehwag cannot play, Rahane should be the first-choice replacement.

[prasen9]

At a home game, they will not have a reserve keeper.

[PKBasu]

They normally do: that's how Saha got to make his test debut!

But perhaps against NZ, there is no reason to have one.

[PKBasu]

Mumbai Indians captain Bhajji has been recalled to the T20I squad. The test squad includes Rahane, but not M Tiwary or Rohit Sharma (both of whom make the T20I squad, ridiculously in the latter's case; the guy who should've been picked instead is Uthappa).

Here are the squads to face NZ:

Test squad: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav, Pragyan Ojha, Piyush Chawla, Ishant Sharma

T20I squad: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Irfan Pathan, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, L Balaji, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Dinda


The one big surprise is the selection of Piyush Chawla for both squads. I like this pick, although he probably only got a look-in because of Rahul Sharma's rave party episode. Piyush is a maturing leg-spinner, and now is the time to invest in him for the long-term. I am irritated to find Irfan's name missing from the Test squad. Surely he has earned that place now. Piyush could, however, be picked as a #7 batsman and fifth bowler -- which, I think, would be the right thing to do for a home series (although Ashwin too is a Test allrounder...).

For the Hyderabad test, I would go with: Sehwag, Gambhir, Kohli, Tendulkar, Laxman, Pujara, Dhoni, Ashwin, Chawla, Zaheer, Yadav. (My theory here is that Sehwag is the third spinner).

[PKBasu]

Picking Yuvi is a big gamble -- and a classic example of the type of emotional/sentimental decision that only an Indian (rather than an Australian, say) selection committee would make. That a cancer survivor is picked is remarkable; but given that the same squad is going to the T20I world championship, surely Yuvi should have been required to demonstrate that he is indeed match-fit. A difficult decision, but one that could safely have been postponed to a time when there was much more clarity on whether or not Yuvi was truly ready to play cricket again at any level.

[yssriram]

Will it be a Welcome break for L.Balaji too

[prasen9]

Ishant Sharma back in the test team. The guy has had no match practice. What wrong did Praveen Kumar do in the chances he got? Or Irfan? Raina back in the test squad again so that he can beat up the cupcakes at home and then lay eggs in fast pitches abroad! I hope they play Rahane before Raina.

Unfortunate that Munaf is not in the T20 squad.

[prasen9]

I am getting more irritated with the Raina pick. There is very little chance of Raina succeeding rather than Rohit Sharma in tests. He has failed in ODIs but in tests, he does not have to play cross-batted shots and may cope better without being hurried to score. The problem with having Raina back is that he will hit out against the Kiwis and get a position for an away tour and then go and fail there again. Chances will go that could have been used on Rahane, Rohit, and Tiwary.

[ihtrak]

Even I feel Rohit Sharma will do good in Tests as in T20's.. Somehow he is yet to find the balance in ODIs.. I would have Rohit ahead of Raina especially since Rohit was there in the previous tour and he didnt get a chance in tests yet..

[yssriram]

VVS Lakshman is going to announce retirement in a day or two:

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/a ... 784821.ece

[prasen9]

I hope they consider using Rahane and not the failed Raina again in that case. I am assuming Pujara and Kohli will cement their places against the weak New Zealand bowling.

[PKBasu]

VVS is certainly playing at least the first test against NZ on his official home ground in Hyderabad. His spiritual home ground -- like that of so many other great Hyderabad cricketers, including Mohammed Azharuddin -- is of course the Eden Gardens in Calcutta (where he got another big century against West Indies last November, his 17th and possibly last one; of course he also played his greatest innings there, 281 in the greatest test of all time, and I saw him get a marvellous century against Pakistan there in 2007).

[yssriram]

VVS Lakshman has called for a press conference today 4 PM IST. Mostly expected announcement is, he plays the Hyderabad test and retires in front of his home ground.