India in Australia, 2018-2019

[ssp]

Disastrous last few minutes before lunch. Really tough way to lose Kohli. Isn't Nigel Llong getting a lot decisions wrong recently?

However, this match will be lost mainly because of the utterly stupid selections. Pant will need to do something special to get us over 300 because there will be zilch from the other end. I think 270 will be tough from here

Ishant gone too. How predictable. Will we get to 260? Joke of a tail. Actually,I think the tail starts at No 5! Given our openers' current form, we have 3 reliable batsmen. Trying to win a test on this kind of surface with that batting line up is not going to work.

Don't know what Pant is thinking of. Taking singles early in an over and exposing the rabbits for 4+ balls. Ishant's shot was crazy. Common sense is lacking everywhere it seems.

[sameerph]

Umesh Yadav put up a bit more fight. But, Pant holed out after hitting a few good shots and we end up at 283 giving a 43 run lead to Australia.

Lyon picks up 5 wickets again showing how wrong our selections was going in with no specialist spinner.

[PKBasu]

What a disaster it was not to pick Jadeja and Bhuvi!

[ankit1407]

How difficult it is to target stumps ... this test is over

[Sin Hombre]

It was almost over at the toss and finished after Kohli's dismissal. Losing by a minimum 100 runs.

[ankit1407]

I know you like to keep going to toss , we had this discussion during last England tour too.. but you don’t stop playing after toss and also as much as I admire Virat for his batting , this one is on him for stupid captaincy including team selections ..

[ssp]

A flurry of wickets but the lead is 250 with Lyon likely to cause us more pain with his bat!
The pitch is looking really tough to bat on. 180 would have been a tough target. I agree with Sin Hombre's prediction of a 100 run loss.

[ankit1407]

Last wkt partnership 28 now ..

[sameerph]

The pitch is looking really tough to bat on. 180 would have been a tough target. I agree with Sin Hombre's prediction of a 100 run loss.

112-5 with 287 to chase. 100 run defeat looks on card.

Vihari seems be doing decently with bat as he did with ball and should retain his place for next test. Probably, we can drop both openers, open with Prathvi Shaw and Pujara and pick Rohit Sharma at #5 for next test. We know Rohit is nothing great in tests but perhaps better than Rahul and Vijay. We have to choose between whoever is there in the team.

[rajitghosh]

India will lose the series 3-1. The 1st test win was an aberration. Now the team is showing its true colours.

[ankit1407]

Shaw out of test series and Mayank is called in as replacement .. Hardik makes a come back to test team ..

[prasen9]

So the choice of Umesh got us 2 wickets in the match for 139 on a bowler's wicket. What stupidity!

So, our three pacers for Melbourne would be Hardik, Bumrah, and Ishant/Shami. We may go with all four of them.
Spinner: Ashwin (Jadeja if unfit)

Six bats: Vijay/Rahul, Mayank, Pujara, Kohli, Rahane, Pant.

If we want to reduce the tail, we can go with Hardik, Bhuvi, Bumrah. And, add Vihari. Pujara has batted well in the series. Can he open? I suppose then we could bring in Rohit.

[Prashant]

Guessing this brains trust will he too formulaic to play both Hardik and Vihari.

[Atithee]

Australia’s last wicket partnership with Indian bowlers truly being on top was almost as good as the best Indian top order second innings partnership. That says it all. We need a top class spinner in our team. My vote will go to a wrist spinner—Kukdeep seems the best choice to me but he’s probably not even in the squad. I think we need Rohit in the team as much as he is hated in this forum. Pujara as an opener makes a lot of sense but I believe he’s a reluctant opener.

[prasen9]

I think we need Rohit in the team as much as he is hated in this forum.

To score 25 runs? Why? Why not give that chance to Vihari? He is hated because he does not score runs in tests abroad. That is his job. He does it very badly. Nobody hates him just for the sake of it. But because he has gotten so many chances deprived to other young batsmen such as Nair, etc.

Selection should be on performance. Not on how talented you look. He scores 24 runs/innings in SANE countries over 20 innings. Why does he deserve more chances whereas so many youngsters are waiting for theirs? Just because he has a buddy in Kohli and a state-mate in Shastri?