India in South Africa, January 2018

[prasen9]

Makes me think what would have happened if we had a wrist-spinner in the middle test? I know it is spilt milk, but still ...

I had expected India to be competitive in ODIs because our bowlers are not hapless spectators as they are in the idiotic flat pitches, with short boundaries added in, in India. Now it is time to wrap up the series.

Faf, ABD and DeQock are not there? So what? The others should be able to step in and do the job at home. Among the batsmen all the colored bats deserve their chance and possibly among the bowlers too. I don't know about this Zondo guy. But other than that there are not very many quota selections. In fact, I think Phelyuk is a good all-rounder in their conditions and should play.

[sameerph]

What an innings from Virat Kohli. He is surely on his way of becoming the greatest ever ODI batsman.

[PKBasu]

Virat is the greatest ODI batsman of all time. His numbers are better than Viv’s by a Long way, although some will insist that the playing conditions favour batsmen much more these days.

But what an abject performance by the rest of the middle order. Bhuvi outscored them all. Jadhav can’t be in the side as a Bowling allrounder surely.

[PKBasu]

These wrist spinners of ours are simply brilliant! Kuldeep’s figures are 5-1-9-1. That is stunning from a spinner Bowling in a pacer’s lair.

[prasen9]

Terrible bowling performance by our bowlers. They could not defend Kohli's total. At the end, RSA beat Kohli by 19 runs!

I have never seen a more dominating performance by Indian spinners outside the subcontinent. Makes me keep wondering what it would have been if we had a wrist spinner in the middle test. We have seen enough of Ashwin and Jadeja. Why not try a wrist-spinner in England tests? Yes, I know ODIs and tests are different beasts. Still. The wrist-spinners have not won us anything. Trying out a series or maybe just a match or two with Kuldeep as the spinner in England may not be so much of a risk.

[PKBasu]

Kuldeep must be played in tests. He will be a handful, as he was on the seamer’s track in Dharamsala on debut.

[S_K_S]

Terrible bowling performance by our bowlers. They could not defend Kohli's total. At the end, RSA beat Kohli by 19 runs!

As someone who uses this page as my source of my news I took the above line to be a defeat so I was surprised to then find out that we actually won!

[PKBasu]

The India women’s team thrashed South Africa by 178 runs on the same day. Mandhana made a brilliant century. The Indian women’s team looks ready to become world beaters in the next couple of years.

[prasen9]

Terrible bowling performance by our bowlers. They could not defend Kohli's total. At the end, RSA beat Kohli by 19 runs!

As someone who uses this page as my source of my news I took the above line to be a defeat so I was surprised to then find out that we actually won!

With confirmation of one victim, online troll declares victory!

[Sin Hombre]

Kohli is masking this team's deficiencies.

Yet again, the entire middle order was useless. Time to move on from Kedar, Rahane (unless it is a sub-250 pitch), Hardik and Dhoni in this format, though there is an argument to be made that there isn't enough time to groom a replacement for the latter.

[prasen9]

We know what these folks can provide. I think we should play the others to figure out whether they can. So, Rahul, Manish, etc. should be played. Wrt Kedar, he has gotten few chances to bat. We know he is technically deficient. But, Pandey's technique is no better.

You saw how Rahane got out? He tried to loft because he could not motor along with singles like Kohli has mastered. Kohli is an absolute master of that art. I do not expect Rahane to be that totallyd. But, can he become better at milking singles at will. Maybe he is trying and failing but he is very talented too. I wonder if he is really trying to copy Kohli's strategy or is not paying attention. If you can milk singles every ball more or less, you do not have to loft and if Rahane does not loft, he has the calibre to be a very reliable batsman in ODIs. His fielding is good.

[S_K_S]

Kohli is masking this team's deficiencies.

Yet again, the entire middle order was useless. Time to move on from Kedar, Rahane (unless it is a sub-250 pitch), Hardik and Dhoni in this format, though there is an argument to be made that there isn't enough time to groom a replacement for the latter.

That's a bit harsh. I think it is testament to his genius that he was the only player on both sides who figured how to play on that pitch.

[prasen9]

Huh? Dhawan played a fantastic innings. Not at Kohli levels but did very well. Without him, we would not have reached 300. The worst innings was played by Dhoni. It shows no respect and trust in people who come after him. It leaves them with fewer balls and having to hit out and get out

[Observer]

Huh? Dhawan played a fantastic innings. Not at Kohli levels but did very well. Without him, we would not have reached 300. The worst innings was played by Dhoni. It shows no respect and trust in people who come after him. It leaves them with fewer balls and having to hit out and get out

You are able to make that statement because you are armed with the power of hindsight. When it comes to batting in the final overs of an innings, Dhoni is one of the best to have ever played the game. So its only natural for him to back himself to do the job. He failed on this occassion and the reasons for his failure could be a whole separate topic of discussion. Irrespective of why he failed it would be quite unfair to blame a player for backing himself to do a job he is good at over respecting and relying on other less capable people to do it instead. Willingness to take responsibility is a highly desirable quality in a player.

Its not the easiest job in cricket to come in and start hitting immediately in the final few overs, so its ok to fail sometimes. Dhoni adds immense value to the team especially under high pressure situations so maybe we should cut the guy some slack.

[prasen9]

You are able to make that statement because you are armed with the power of hindsight.

Not in hindsight. I find Dhoni's slowing down to a crawl abominable. This is not the first time he has done that. He has lost us many matches doing this. It is an utterly selfish act. If I may say so, it reeks of ego. He thinks *only* he can do the job and nobody else can. The attitude should be hit out or get out. If you cannot get the runs on that day for whatever reason, just get out. Slowing down to a crawl does not help. I cannot remember a game (okay maybe more than a game in the last year) that India won because Dhoni slowed down and stopped the fall of wickets.

When it comes to batting in the final overs of an innings, Dhoni is one of the best to have ever played the game.

True as said. Dhoni may always be the best to have ever played the game. But that does not mean that he should be in the Indian team when he is 90 [reductio ad absurdum]. He is currently not just very good consistently. He comes off some days and fails utterly at others. Unlike the Dhoni of old.

So its only natural for him to back himself to do the job.

But he should have the brain to see that he is not doing the job. Then he has to make way. And not think that nobody else can do it because he is failing. If that indeed is his thinking, then he is a bigger egomaniac than I thought he is. And, yes, the fault should fall on the team management too. They should tell him to bat faster after say 10 balls. There was a lot of bad press after several of his slow innings. So, he started to take chances and hit. In this innings again, he regressed.

Irrespective of why he failed it would be quite unfair to blame a player for backing himself to do a job he is good at over respecting and relying on other less capable people to do it instead.

There is a crucial difference. Without any other information, this is true. But when the facts are staring at you and you see that you cannot do the job on this pitch over after over, then you are saying that not only are you better, but you are saying that Kedar and Bhuvi cannot bat at more than 3 runs/over! That is utter lack of faith in your teammates. Cricket is a team game. The teams that won championships did so because everyone relied on everyone else to do their job and do things selflessly. Individuals who think that only they can win the game and nobody else can should not be chosen in the team.

Willingness to take responsibility is a highly desirable quality in a player.

Absolutely. So, after 10-15 balls, he should take the responsibility that he is sucking at the crease and start to hit.

Its not the easiest job in cricket to come in and start hitting immediately in the final few overs, so its ok to fail sometimes.

Absolutely. This is exactly what I am saying. It is okay to fail to score runs. But it is not okay not to hit. Again, reductio ad absurdum, if someone comes in at over 47 and starts playing forward defense and gives out a maiden, we will think that behavior is ludicrous. It does not matter if you can or cannot. It matters if you try or not. Dhoni should come in and hit. And, not sit and waste balls. If he is out with a low score, we will ignore a few of those. For example, I am not that upset at Kedar or even Pandya because this may be one failure.

Dhoni adds immense value to the team especially under high pressure situations so maybe we should cut the guy some slack.

How many matches did Dhoni win us "under high pressure" in the last six months? One year? My impression is that he has failed more often than not. Dhoni used to. He does no more. Anyway, even if Viv Richards or Virat Kohli comes in and defends and gives a maiden in the 47th over (again a hypothetical, I am not saying Dhoni gave a maiden), then you should not cut them any slack. You should call it out as poor cricket and poor tactics. Even if God does that. If you hit out and do not score many runs, then we cut the person a slack.