India's tour of SA - Without 4 Fab's

[19thmay]

While I was planning not to watch BCCI matches after Sachin's retirement, the farewell by the young guns made me more emotional. They celebrated Sachin twice (2011/2013). In my opinion they deserve complete support from all the Sachin fans. Change is eternal and I wish the young guys to rock at South Africa!!!

Go Go Dhoni boys...

Test squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Ambati Rayudu, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha

ODI squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ambati Rayudu, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra

[venkkiram]

தோனியின் தலைமைப் பொறுப்பிற்கு களங்கம் வராமல் இருப்பதற்கு இப்படியெல்லாமா பிசிசிஐ அரசியல் செய்வது? நான்கு அல்லது ஐந்து டெஸ்ட்கள் விளையாடுவதை விட்டுவிட்டு இரண்டு ? ஏன் ஒரே ஒரு டெஸ்ட்டில் மட்டுமே விளையாடி விட்டு வரவேண்டியதுதானே! அதுவும் நல்லாத் தான் இருக்கும். போயும் போயும் இந்த ரெண்டே ரெண்டு டெஸ்டுகளுக்கு இம்பூட்டு ஆள் சேர்ப்பு! அதிலும் அரசியல். உலகக் கோப்பை நான்கு வருடங்களுக்கு ஒருமுறை வருவதுபோல, தோனி தலைமையில் நான்கு/ஐந்து டெஸ்டுகள் இனி நான்கு வருடத்திற்கு ஒருமுறை மட்டுமே அயல் நாட்டில் நடந்தேறும் போல!

[Russellffj]

தோனியின் தலைமைப் பொறுப்பிற்கு களங்கம் வராமல் இருப்பதற்கு இப்படியெல்லாமா பிசிசிஐ அரசியல் செய்வது? நான்கு அல்லது ஐந்து டெஸ்ட்கள் விளையாடுவதை விட்டுவிட்டு இரண்டு ? ஏன் ஒரே ஒரு டெஸ்ட்டில் மட்டுமே விளையாடி விட்டு வரவேண்டியதுதானே! அதுவும் நல்லாத் தான் இருக்கும். போயும் போயும் இந்த ரெண்டே ரெண்டு டெஸ்டுகளுக்கு இம்பூட்டு ஆள் சேர்ப்பு! அதிலும் அரசியல். உலகக் கோப்பை நான்கு வருடங்களுக்கு ஒருமுறை வருவதுபோல, தோனி தலைமையில் நான்கு/ஐந்து டெஸ்டுகள் இனி நான்கு வருடத்திற்கு ஒருமுறை மட்டுமே அயல் நாட்டில் நடந்தேறும் போல!

So sad of you..... not even a single home series next 1 year... Aluvarathu thaan aluvareenga correcta alunga pa. Enna pannalum kutham epadi pannalum kutham :sigh2:


November 2013 West Indies tour of India 2013 India
December 2013 India tour of South Africa 2013-14 South Africa
Jan-Feb 2014 India tour of New Zealand 2014 New Zealand
Mar-Apr 2014 T20 World Cup 2014 Bangladesh
Jul-Sep 2014 India tour of England 2014 England
Feb-Mar 2015 ICC World Cup 2015 Australia, New Zealand


Dec 5, 2013 South Africa vs India, 1st ODI
Johannesburg
Dec 8, 2013 South Africa vs India, 2nd ODI
Durban
Dec 11, 2013 South Africa vs India, 3rd ODI
Centurion
Dec 18, 2013 South Africa vs India, 1st Test Johannesburg
Dec 26, 2013 South Africa vs India, 2nd Test Durban
Jan 19, 2014 New Zealand vs India, 1st ODI
Napier
Jan 22, 2014 New Zealand vs India, 2nd ODI
Hamilton
Jan 25, 2014 New Zealand vs India, 3rd ODI
Auckland
Jan 28, 2014 New Zealand vs India, 4th ODI
Hamilton
Jan 31, 2014 New Zealand vs India, 5th ODI
Wellington
Feb 6, 2014 New Zealand vs India, 1st Test Auckland
Feb 14, 2014 New Zealand vs India, 2nd Test Wellington
Mar 21, 2014 India vs Pakistan, 13th T20 Mirpur
Mar 23, 2014 West Indies vs India, 17th T20 Mirpur
Mar 28, 2014 India vs TBC, 24th T20 Mirpur
Mar 30, 2014 India vs Australia, 28th T20 Mirpur
Jul 9, 2014 England vs India, 1st Test Nottingham
Jul 17, 2014 England vs India, 2nd Test London
Jul 27, 2014 England vs India, 3rd Test Southampton
Aug 7, 2014 England vs India, 4th Test Manchester
Aug 15, 2014 England vs India, 5th Test London
Aug 25, 2014 England vs India, 1st ODI Bristol
Aug 27, 2014 England vs India, 2nd ODI Cardiff
Aug 30, 2014 England vs India, 3rd ODI Nottingham
Sep 2, 2014 England vs India, 4th ODI Birmingham
Sep 5, 2014 England vs India, 5th ODI Leeds
Sep 7, 2014 England vs India, 1st T20 Birmingham
Feb 15, 2015 India vs Pakistan, 4th ODI
Adelaide
Feb 22, 2015 South Africa vs India, 13th ODI
Melbourne
Feb 28, 2015 India vs TBC, 21st ODI (Qualifier 4)
Perth
Mar 6, 2015 India vs West Indies, 28th ODI
Perth
Mar 10, 2015 India vs Ireland, 34th ODI
Hamilton
Mar 14, 2015 India vs Zimbabwe, 39th ODI
Auckland

[venkkiram]

jadu.. thanks for that link.

Until March 2015:

Dec-2013 --> 2 tests against SA in SA
Feb-2014 --> 2 tests against NZ in NZ
Jul, Aug-2014 --> 5 tests against Eng in Eng

[VinodKumar's]

Varusathu varusham ma ella oorlayum test match velada mudiyum ... ippo thaana Dhoni thalamaila Australia Engaland West Indies lam velandutu vanthinga ...

[Russellffj]

Test matches since 1996... not even a single time india have played SA more than 3 tests (max) mostly 2 tests.. ivlo varusham varuthapadathavanga.. ipa thideernu paasam ponguthu pola... :lol: ... and this is only time there are continuous overseas matches.

With world t20 and world ODI ahead... venki wants India to play more test matches... balae balae

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_Test_matches



301 Test 1338 South Africa Home Won Ahmedabad 1996–97
302 Test 1341 South Africa Home Lost Kolkata 1996–97
303 Test 1344 South Africa Home Won Kanpur 1996–97
304 Test 1347 South Africa Away Lost Durban 1996–97
305 Test 1349 South Africa Away Lost Cape Town 1996–97
306 Test 1350 South Africa Away Draw Johannesburg 1996–97
307 Test 1357 West Indies Away Draw Kingston 1996–97
308 Test 1361 West Indies Away Draw Port of Spain 1996–97
309 Test 1363 West Indies Away Lost Bridgetown 1996–97
310 Test 1364 West Indies Away Draw St John's 1996–97
311 Test 1365 West Indies Away Draw Georgetown 1996–97
312 Test 1374 Sri Lanka Away Draw Colombo (RPS) 1997
313 Test 1376 Sri Lanka Away Draw Colombo (SSC) 1997
314 Test 1385 Sri Lanka Home Draw Mohali 1997–98
315 Test 1387 Sri Lanka Home Draw Nagpur 1997–98
316 Test 1390 Sri Lanka Home Draw Mumbai 1997–98
317 Test 1405 Australia Home Won Chennai 1997–98
318 Test 1409 Australia Home Won Kolkata 1997–98
319 Test 1413 Australia Home Lost Bangalore 1997–98
320 Test 1425 Zimbabwe Away Lost Harare 1998
321 Test 1434 New Zealand Away Abanded Dunedin 1998–99
322 Test 1435 New Zealand Away Lost Wellington 1998–99
323 Test 1438 New Zealand Away Draw Hamilton 1998–99
324 Test 1442 Pakistan Home Lost Chennai 1998–99
325 Test 1443 Pakistan Home Won Delhi 1998–99
326 Test 1444 Pakistan Home Lost Kolkata 1998–99
327 Test 1445 Sri Lanka Away Draw Colombo (SSC) 1998–99
328 Test 1462 New Zealand Home Draw Mohali 1999–2000
329 Test 1464 New Zealand Home Won Kanpur 1999–2000
330 Test 1465 New Zealand Home Draw Ahmedabad 1999–2000
331 Test 1476 Australia Away Lost Adelaide 1999–2000
332 Test 1479 Australia Away Lost Melbourne 1999–2000
333 Test 1481 Australia Away Lost Sydney 1999–2000
334 Test 1484 South Africa Home Lost Mumbai 1999–2000
335 Test 1486 South Africa Home Lost Bangalore 1999–2000
336 Test 1512 Bangladesh Away Won Dhaka 2000–01
337 Test 1515 Zimbabwe Home Won Delhi 2000–01
338 Test 1517 Zimbabwe Home Draw Nagpur 2000–01
339 Test 1531 Australia Home Lost Mumbai 2000–01
340 Test 1535 Australia Home Won Kolkata 2000–01
341 Test 1539 Australia Home Won Chennai 2000–01
342 Test 1548 Zimbabwe Away Won Bulawayo 2001
343 Test 1549 Zimbabwe Away Lost Harare 2001
344 Test 1555 Sri Lanka Away Lost Galle 2001
345 Test 1557 Sri Lanka Away Won Kandy 2001
346 Test 1559 Sri Lanka Away Lost Colombo (SSC) 2001
347 Test 1564 South Africa Away Lost Bloemfontein 2001–02
348 Test 1569 South Africa Away Draw Port Elizabeth 2001–02
349 Test 1574 England Home Won Mohali 2000–01
350 Test 1575 England Home Draw Ahmedabad 2000–01
351 Test 1578 England Home Draw Bangalore 2000–01
352 Test 1589 Zimbabwe Home Won Nagpur 2001–02
353 Test 1591 Zimbabwe Home Won Delhi 2001–02
354 Test 1598 West Indies Away Draw Georgetown 2002
355 Test 1599 West Indies Away Won Port of Spain 2002
356 Test 1601 West Indies Away Lost Bridgetown 2002
357 Test 1602 West Indies Away Draw St John's 2002
358 Test 1604 West Indies Away Lost Kingston 2002
359 Test 1610 England Away Lost Lord's 2002
360 Test 1612 England Away Draw Nottingham 2002
361 Test 1613 England Away Won Leeds 2002
362 Test 1614 England Away Draw The Oval 2002
363 Test 1616 West Indies Home Won Mumbai 2002–03
364 Test 1618 West Indies Home Won Chennai 2002–03
365 Test 1622 West Indies Home Draw Kolkata 2002–03
366 Test 1631 New Zealand Away Lost Wellington 2002–03
367 Test 1633 New Zealand Away Lost Hamilton 2002–03
368 Test 1660 New Zealand Home Draw Ahmedabad 2003–04
369 Test 1662 New Zealand Home Draw Mohali 2003–04
370 Test 1671 Australia Away Draw Brisbane 2003–04
371 Test 1673 Australia Away Won Adelaide 2003–04
372 Test 1678 Australia Away Lost Melbourne 2003–04
373 Test 1680 Australia Away Draw Sydney 2003–04
374 Test 1693 Pakistan Away Won Multan 2003–04
375 Test 1695 Pakistan Away Lost Lahore 2003–04
376 Test 1697 Pakistan Away Won Rawalpindi 2003–04
377 Test 1713 Australia Home Lost Bangalore 2004–05
378 Test 1714 Australia Home Draw Chennai 2004–05
379 Test 1718 Australia Home Lost Nagpur 2004–05
380 Test 1720 Australia Home Won Mumbai 2004–05
381 Test 1722 South Africa Home Draw Kanpur 2004–05
382 Test 1724 South Africa Home Won Kolkata 2004–05
383 Test 1725 Bangladesh Away Won Dhaka 2004–05
384 Test 1727 Bangladesh Away Won Chittagong 2004–05
385 Test 1738 Pakistan Home Draw Mohali 2004–05
386 Test 1741 Pakistan Home Won Kolkata 2004–05
387 Test 1743 Pakistan Home Lost Bangalore 2004–05
388 Test 1765 Zimbabwe Away Won Bulawayo 2005
389 Test 1767 Zimbabwe Away Won Harare 2005
390 Test 1775 Sri Lanka Home Draw Chennai 2005–06
391 Test 1776 Sri Lanka Home Won Delhi 2005–06
392 Test 1778 Sri Lanka Home Won Ahmedabad 2005–06
393 Test 1781 Pakistan Away Draw Lahore 2005–06
394 Test 1782 Pakistan Away Draw Faisalabad 2005–06
395 Test 1783 Pakistan Away Lost Karachi 2005–06
396 Test 1785 England Home Draw Nagpur 2005–06
397 Test 1788 England Home Won Mohali 2005–06
398 Test 1791 England Home Lost Mumbai 2005–06
399 Test 1805 West Indies Away Draw St John's 2006
400 Test 1806 West Indies Away Draw Gros Islet 2006
401–476 Tests
M.No Test No. Opposition H/W Result Place Year/Season
401 Test 1807 West Indies Away Draw Basseterre 2006
402 Test 1808 West Indies Away Won Kingston 2006
403 Test 1823 South Africa Away Won Johannesburg 2006–07
404 Test 1825 South Africa Away Lost Durban 2006–07
405 Test 1827 South Africa Away Lost Cape Town 2006–07
406 Test 1832 Bangladesh Away Draw Chittagong 2007
407 Test 1833 Bangladesh Away Won Dhaka 2007
408 Test 1840 England Away Draw Lord's 2007
409 Test 1841 England Away Won Nottingham 2007
410 Test 1842 England Away Draw The Oval 2007
411 Test 1849 Pakistan Home Won Delhi 2007–08
412 Test 1850 Pakistan Home Draw Kolkata 2007–08
413 Test 1852 Pakistan Home Draw Bangalore 2007–08
414 Test 1855 Australia Away Lost Melbourne 2007–08
415 Test 1857 Australia Away Lost Sydney 2007–08
416 Test 1862 Australia Away Won Perth 2007–08
417 Test 1863 Australia Away Draw Adelaide 2007–08
418 Test 1870 South Africa Home Draw Chennai 2007–08
419 Test 1871 South Africa Home Lost Ahmedabad 2007–08
420 Test 1873 South Africa Home Won Kanpur 2007–08
421 Test 1882 Sri Lanka Away Lost Colombo (SSC) 2008
422 Test 1884 Sri Lanka Away Won Galle 2008
423 Test 1886 Sri Lanka Away Lost Colombo (PSS) 2008
424 Test 1887 Australia Home Draw Bangalore 2008–09
425 Test 1889 Australia Home Won Mohali 2008–09
426 Test 1891 Australia Home Draw Delhi 2008–09
427 Test 1892 Australia Home Won Nagpur 2008–09
428 Test 1898 England Home Won Chennai 2008–09
429 Test 1901 England Home Draw Mohali 2008–09
430 Test 1915 New Zealand Away Won Hamilton 2008–09
431 Test 1917 New Zealand Away Draw Napier 2008–09
432 Test 1918 New Zealand Away Draw Wellington 2008–09
433 Test 1933 Sri Lanka Home Draw Ahmedabad 2009–10
434 Test 1935 Sri Lanka Home Won Kanpur 2009–10
435 Test 1937 Sri Lanka Home Won Mumbai (BS) 2009–10
436 Test 1949 Bangladesh Away Won Chittagong 2009–10
437 Test 1950 Bangladesh Away Won Dhaka 2009–10
438 Test 1951 South Africa Home Lost Nagpur 2009-10
439 Test 1952 South Africa Home Won Kolkata 2009-10
440 Test 1964 Sri Lanka Away Lost Galle 2010
441 Test 1966 Sri Lanka Away Draw Colombo (SSC) 2010
442 Test 1968 Sri Lanka Away Won Colombo (PSS) 2010
443 Test 1972 Australia Home Won Mohali 2010–11
444 Test 1973 Australia Home Won Bangalore 2010–11
445 Test 1974 New Zealand Home Draw Ahmedabad 2010–11
446 Test 1975 New Zealand Home Draw Hyderabad (Deccan) 2010–11
447 Test 1978 New Zealand Home Won Nagpur 2010–11
448 Test 1985 South Africa Away Lost Centurion 2010–11
449 Test 1987 South Africa Away Won Durban 2010–11
450 Test 1988 South Africa Away Draw Cape Town 2010–11
451 Test 1997 West Indies Away Won Kingston 2011
452 Test 1998 West Indies Away Draw Bridgetown 2011
453 Test 1999 West Indies Away Draw Roseau 2011
454 Test 2000 England Away Lost Lord's 2011
455 Test 2001 England Away Lost Nottingham 2011
456 Test 2003 England Away Lost Birmingham 2011
457 Test 2004 England Away Lost The Oval 2011
458 Test 2015 West Indies Home Won Delhi 2011–12
459 Test 2017 West Indies Home Won Kolkata 2011–12
460 Test 2019 West Indies Home Draw Mumbai 2011–12
461 Test 2025 Australia Away Lost Melbourne 2011–12
462 Test 2027 Australia Away Lost Sydney 2011–12
463 Test 2029 Australia Away Lost Perth 2011–12
464 Test 2031 Australia Away Lost Adelaide 2011–12
465 Test 2054 New Zealand Home Won Hyderabad (Deccan) 2012
466 Test 2055 New Zealand Home Won Bangalore 2012
467 Test 2058 England Home Won Ahmedabad 2012–13
468 Test 2062 England Home Lost Mumbai 2012–13
469 Test 2065 England Home Lost Kolkata 2012–13
470 Test 2066 England Home Draw Nagpur 2012–13
471 Test 2074 Australia Home Won Chennai 2012–13
472 Test 2076 Australia Home Won Hyderabad 2012–13
473 Test 2081 Australia Home Won Mohali 2012–13
474 Test 2085 Australia Home Won Delhi 2012–13
475 Test 2101 West Indies Home Won Kolkata 2013–14
476 Test 2102 West Indies Home Won Mumbai 2013–14

[VinodKumar's]

GOAT ku azhaipu varalengara kovama Venki ??

[venkkiram]

GOAT ku azhaipu varalengara kovama Venki ?? You mean Gambhir? Ha ha :)

[VinodKumar's]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2013-14/content/story/695107.html

All the best Team India. Inexperienced "fearless"" team. Expecting decent result and good learning in this tour.

[Russellffj]

Expecting Dhawan and Bhuvaneshwar kumar to shine

[svaisn]

enna ippadi pannitaanga :cry:
The first spell of Steyn and Morkel was amazing.. completely shattered the confidence of our Trio (top order)......
hope we bounce back next match.....

[venkkiram]

Bring Gambhir :)

[19thmay]

Who is going to rock? Amla/ADB :thumbsup:

[VinodKumar's]

Bring Gambhir :)

Veedu yerinja thanniya oothanum ennaya ootha koodathu. Definitely Gambhir cannot make any difference. At least these youngsters kannula bayatha kaamika irukkanga :noteeth:.

[VinodKumar's]

Who is going to rock? Amla/ADB :thumbsup:



Pujara, Kohli and Shami.


Come on Shami :).

[venkkiram]

:clap: Kohli! Excellend and very positive performance so far except the Pujara's run out.

[VinodKumar's]

Run out :banghead:. Hope this will not be start for collapse.

[VinodKumar's]

Anyway good work Pujara :clap:.

[VinodKumar's]

164/4 by Tea. Would have easily passed the session with no wicket loss if that run out was not happened.

Good performance so far :). Lets aim for 300.

[venkkiram]

Vinod.. now you cud realize the need of Gambhir! He and Dhawan would be an excellent pair.

[VinodKumar's]

Kohli :clap: :notworthy: ..

[VinodKumar's]

Vinod.. now you cud realize the need of Gambhir! He and Dhawan would be an excellent pair.

Gambhir would have made himself and team panicked. I am not sure how Gambhir can make difference in the batting line up. Please remember he is not Sachin/Dravid/Laxman.

For Vijay Gambhir is better but definitely not good for long term. We need to find two more young openers asap.

[VinodKumar's]

Smith has to operate with a spinner at least from one end to maintain the over rate and Kohli is utilizing the opportunity to score :clap:.

[VinodKumar's]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/174300/174353.jpg

[ajaybaskar]

Wow Kohli.. You beauty!! This man is growing leaps and bounds with every season. Its hard to fill in the big shoes of SRT but I would be more than happy if Kohli continues to play such fearless cricket.

[Dinesh84]

Gambhir is a strit NO in the team! He would play a greedy knock and runout few players to cement his place in team. And also we need to replace Mooli with some one else . :think:

[19thmay]

One of the best test innings in 2013... From 21/2 ... this is an amazing batting under pressure. Clearly he is the next Indian cricketing legend!! Way to go Kohli!!

[VinodKumar's]

300 + is must to be positive on field .. Smith, Amla, ABD, Duminy, Faf, Kallis :fatigue: ...Aranooru adichalum pathathu polayae ...

[Dinesh84]

Smith - Zak's bunny :mrgreen:

[VinodKumar's]

Match out-nu nenaikiraen :|.

[venkkiram]

Out of 11, 2 spots are wasted. One from top and another from bottom. Vijay and Zaheer.

[VinodKumar's]

2 in 2 for Ishanth ... Amla and Kallis gone.

[VinodKumar's]

Zak got his bunny .. Smith gone ... From 130/1 to 130/4 :noteeth:.

[venkkiram]

Ishant simply rocks. Showing lot of variety.

[ajithfederer]

Zak setup smith nicely.

2-3 away swinging deliveries followed by an incisive in swinger crashing into leg. :clap:

[venkkiram]

Oh man! Whats happening here? This time Shami removed the two middle order bats. Keep going. I would like to see Vijay's batting before EOD.

[VinodKumar's]

We shud wrap up this asap. Cant afford tail to score runs. Come on India dont lose the momentum.

[VinodKumar's]

Come on dont leak runs to tail :twisted:. Get them quickly.

[Dinesh84]

India's age old problem of failing to clear the tail is haunting them again :argh:

[19thmay]

This test match is turning out to be a classic, 250 all out is my prediction. India will struggle and score 200+ in the second innings which means ~ 230-250 will be the target! Whoa... can't wait!!

[venkkiram]

I think Kumar in place of Zaheer would have been a big advantage in such kind of bowling conditions.

[VinodKumar's]

Amla with gloves and ABD with ball. Has Smith gone mad ? Seems India has great hit on SA's over confidence.

[VinodKumar's]

Very good session for India except that unlucky dismissal of Vijay. So far good work by our top order batsmen.

[ajithfederer]

:fatigue: Are you even watching the match?. He took the wickets of the two highest scorers in the innings and cleaned up the tail.

I think Kumar in place of Zaheer would have been a big advantage in such kind of bowling conditions.

[VinodKumar's]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/174500/174523.jpg

[VinodKumar's]

Pujara :clap:. Please close the day well.

[VinodKumar's]

Vaaya kaluvuda :banghead:



46.4

Imran Tahir to Pujara, no run, oh dear, dropped, Tahir's match just got worse, a length ball that Pujara played too early, hit high on the bat and the ball loops to Tahir's right, Tahir gets both hands on it and shells it, that should have been taken, didn't even come at him too fast

[19thmay]

:fatigue: Are you even watching the match?. He took the wickets of the two highest scorers in the innings and cleaned up the tail.

+100 ... I was surprised by Venki's statement. Between ... Pujara and Kohli, this is an amazing second innings which is very rare in Indian cricket, that too in overseas!!!! :clap:

[venkkiram]

Pujara and kohli go to rewrite the Indian test history. Both are capable of study the pitch condition very quickly and accelerate the process in an efficient manner. We are the lucky people who go to witness. Class written all over.

[ajithfederer]

I am saying this now.Zaheer should play in 2015 World cup.

VIjay played solidly for his 39. His knock negated any chance of falling wickets and allowed Pujara enough time at the crease.

[VinodKumar's]

Smith dropped on Zak's over :noteeth:.

[VinodKumar's]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/174700/174735.jpg

[VinodKumar's]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/174700/174763.jpg

[ajaybaskar]

What the heck is happening?

[venkkiram]

Absolutely brilliant contribution from SA Captain. A gem of an innings. With Faf du Plessis, he has now positioned well the SA towards the road for victory.

[venkkiram]

What a comeback for India! Use this opportunity.

[venkkiram]

2 Wickets in 2 overs from Ishant and Shami! All of sudden the foundation of SA's middle order found brittle.

[VinodKumar's]

Did u guys see Dravid's reaction in commentary box for Faf's wicket ?

[VinodKumar's]

Fantastic test match :notworthy:.

[venkkiram]

If India must play with only 1 spinner, it should by default consider a leg spinner regardless of batting or bowling friendly pitch. Period. I am sure Pragyan Ojha could have got 2/3 wickets on each innings.

[venkkiram]

The two pillars:

http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/174800/174875.jpg

[satissh_r]

I think Zaheer bowled to many boundary balls today, Faf and ABD were getting a boundary an over, especially on the leg side with 6-3 field.

[venkkiram]

The ball of the day from Ashwin was the one that cost us 5 runs ( wide and four runs). Great control.

[ajithfederer]

True. Ashwin is no Kumble. Better drop him and pick Bhuvi.

BTW, great test match. ABDV & Faf :clap:. Rahane - turned a loss into a draw.

If India must play with only 1 spinner, it should by default consider a leg spinner regardless of batting or bowling friendly pitch. Period. I am sure Pragyan Ojha could have got 2/3 wickets on each innings.

[19thmay]

Ashwin is in his worst form. He has just picked 1 wicket out of 2 ODI's and 2 test innings.

Between how bad the bowling can be ... FAF and ABD deserves a :bow: for their resistance and at the same time for keeping the run rate active on day 5.

Nevertheless Pujara / Kohli /FAF/ABD and bowlers in the first innings :clap:

[ajaybaskar]

Nice to see the Indians playing mental games before the start of the second test. I only hope it doesn't go overboard and then we end up doing nothing in the field. Aussies used to do the same but they backed it up with exceptional performances on the field.

Since I was in travel, I couldn't watch the first match. Could catch only the highlights. Great show by the team when everyone had predicted an early close of shop. More than Dhawan, Vijay impressed as a opener this time. Hope he puts up a good score in Durban and seal his place.

Only disappointment was Ashwin. Someone needs to tell him that he has to get rid of that pausing habit and concentrate on his regular off spin.

And the last half hour of the match was quite contrary to the rest of the match. Both teams were happy to settle for a draw. Had it been Australia, they would've gone for the kill, whether they were batting or fielding.

[HonestRaj]

Had it been Australia, they would've gone for the kill, whether they were batting or fielding.

thats the difference between Aussies & the rest of the teams playing the game...

[VinodKumar's]

Jadeja replaced Ashwin in second test.

[VinodKumar's]

M Vijay - 50 adichitaan :clap:.

[VinodKumar's]

Interesting :)

"Ryan: "Can someone tell me how many overs Steyn has bowled without getting a wicket? This must be his longest dry spell!" It's 61 overs without a wicket since he dismissed Dhawan in the first innings of the first Test."

[VinodKumar's]

"So Vijay and Pujara have survived another session. There was plenty of reverse swing in the latter half, Steyn coming close a few times to removing Vijay."

[ajithfederer]

Vijay :clap:. Looks like he is really putting his mind into it. Thamizhan manathai kaapathara varaikkum sandhosham.

[venkkiram]

What a talented batsman we got from this tour! Pujara-Kohli-Rahane would be the next generation trio for Indian middle order.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/175500/175515.jpg

[Dinesh84]

Lesson learnt: Rohit is just a flat track bully.

[satissh_r]

I've been a fan of Rahane for long now and I've been waiting for him to perform well for India. For me, he has the perfect technique amongst the current set of Indian cricketers and everything about his batting is classy. I hope he gets a chance to play in all formats for the country.

PS: There have been a few cricketers who I've jinxed with posts like this, I hope this doesn't end up being one..

[satissh_r]

So, who wants to start a thread for the NZ tour?

Here is the team for ODI and Tests

Test squad: MS Dhoni (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishwar Pandey

ODI squad: MS Dhoni (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Ishwar Pandey, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron

http://www.espncricinfo.com/new-zealand-v-india-2014/content/story/705705.html

[VinodKumar's]

Satish, Thread start pannunga :).

[satissh_r]

Satish, Thread start pannunga :).

Sorry Vinod, ippothan Itha padichen..