[Chetan_Rao]

Toothless bowling and average fielding again, draw or SA win (if India need to bat 4 sessions) look likelier.

[msdivy]

Shami was 5-1-12-0 yesterday. As of now, he is 16-3-49-4. 69 overs were bowled so far today. Out of which Shami has bowled just 11 and has taken 4 wickets. Surely Kohli has the knack of not bowling his top wicket-takers.

BTW, its 287 to get in 100 odd overs. Its game SA, unless Kohli and co snatch victory from jaws of defeat

[Chetan_Rao]

Highest successful chase here is 250-odd from nearly two decades ago. India up for a record-breaking chase?

Anything worse than 70-80/2 by close of play, and this game would be difficult to get a result from.

[Sawyer]

India will have to bat of their skins to win. As in the first test, this is probably 70-80 runs too many.

[NPV]

I was thinking this could be the one opportunity for a famous Indian victory on SA soil, but just as I post this, KL Rahul is out and India is 16/2.

Come on India, this can be won!

[srishiva]

Do we have a coach ?
I think the team management has screwed up the minds of openers. All of them are under pressure. Even if Rahane returns, he will be under pressure.

[feluda86]

Originally Posted by srishiva

Do we have a coach ?
I think the team management has screwed up the minds of openers. All of them are under pressure. Even if Rahane returns, he will be under pressure.

Ravi "Big Words" Shashtri

Our batting is really really terrible - no excuses!

[Chetan_Rao]

This is like beating a torn drum, but Kohli's reaction to genuine celebratory emotion from young Ngidi after getting his wicket was horrible.

The man needs to be a better sport, esp. when most of his own on-field celebrations rarely end without an abusive word or gesture. The kid was just fist-pumping at getting the opposing captain's wicket on debut. Not to forget the same kid acted the perfect gentleman just yesterday, taking off his cap to shake Kohli's hand after his first innings hundred.

[Sawyer]

One would expect maturity and marriage to have made the man less hysterical, but no; he is most certainly not the ambassador for the country that a cricket captain is expected to be and as Indian cricket captains have always been - with some small Ganguly exceptions.

He is also setting a terrible example to the youth in the country, but I suppose that is par for the course these days in India.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by srishiva

Do we have a coach ?
I think the team management has screwed up the minds of openers. All of them are under pressure. Even if Rahane returns, he will be under pressure.

Not a coach really; Shastri is more like a cheerleader and a 'yes' man for Kohli. This is not good for Indian cricket. These cracks were papered over in home conditions as team and individual shortcomings were glossed over.

when individual shortcomings are exposed overseas, the first thing that comes to mind is the terrible selections of the team. Why leave out Bhuvi? And if they had to pick someone for a slow low pitch, Jadeja would have been way more useful. In terms of picking wickets but also scoring useful runs. The entire tour now seems headed to a disaster due to the so called team management running around like headless chickens. No clear strategy; just a draw of straws based on hope.

with the continuous rotation of openers; the lack of intent issue raised with Pujara, the sticking to no 4 by Kohli, the omission of Rahane, the handling of Karun Nair and the continued patronage of Rohit Sharma, they have managed to mess with all the potential of a generation of players. This is before we start about how some bowlers are excluded from one day matches and some others from test matches.

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by NPV

Come on India, this can be won!

I like your boyish enthusiasm. Scoring at a rate 3 to win, on a crumbling 5th-day pitch against a bunch of quick, is really tall order.

Originally Posted by Sawyer

He is also setting a terrible example to the youth in the country, but I suppose that is par for the course these days in India.

But it is working so far. He is getting his way. BCCI is bending their rules. BCCI rules say only wives allowed during overseas tours. But he was able to take his girlfriend then, on tour. He was able to get his choice of coach. Why change?

Originally Posted by selfdrive

the lack of intent issue raised with Pujara, the sticking to no 4 by Kohli, the omission of Rahane, the handling of Karun Nair and the continued patronage of Rohit Sharma, they have managed to mess with all the potential of a generation of players.

I remember Kohli had raised issue with media on slow scoring of Pujara at home tests. Change of fortunes - Puraja is the one holding end in SA now. BTW, Nair scored a triple and disappeared. What happened?

[Sawyer]

Because BCCI itself does not have any reputation/competency for professional management, it has no way to deal professionally with the nonsense that all Indian captains and star players have presented to it from time to time. Kohli learnt from his predecessors and does not know any other way.

How come we don't see this nonsense in any other country except perhaps in our cousins, the Pakistanis? Peas from the same pod.

[wangdu]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

This is like beating a torn drum, but Kohli's reaction to genuine celebratory emotion from young Ngidi after getting his wicket was horrible.

The man needs to be a better sport, esp. when most of his own on-field celebrations rarely end without an abusive word or gesture. The kid was just fist-pumping at getting the opposing captain's wicket on debut. Not to forget the same kid acted the perfect gentleman just yesterday, taking off his cap to shake Kohli's hand after his first innings hundred.

Totally agree. And I wonder what was Kohli acting about, as if the ball had kept low. It didn't, it was a good nip-backer at knee height deserving of a wicket. Kohli and his famed "bRat"smen of sub-continent pitches are having a much required reality check on livelier pitches. Centurion's pitch is as close as it gets to secure a draw or improbable win as the next one at bouncier Johannesburg is heavily tilted towards SA, IMO.

[Sawyer]

The reality check will continue in England, where the lateral movement will again fox our heroes, and then in Australia, where it is more difficult for an away team to win than in any other country. So, a full year or more of many reality checks.

But why does it matter to them? Or to their legions of admirers who will still pack the grounds to see meaningless cricket in the IPL arena, all waving meaningless flags? So what if we don't win overseas will be the next chant.

[vamsi.kona]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

The reality check will continue in England, where the lateral movement will again fox our heroes, and then in Australia, where it is more difficult for an away team to win than in any other country. So, a full year or more of many reality checks.

But why does it matter to them? Or to their legions of admirers who will still pack the grounds to see meaningless cricket in the IPL arena, all waving meaningless flags? So what if we don't win overseas will be the next chant.

The overseas problem doesn't seem to be peculiar to India. Apart from a few exceptions, the victors have been mostly home sides. Of course that is not to say that we shouldn't at least put a good fight and prepare better.

As I said in my earlier post and as pointed out by many, India needed a ex star such in Kumble as coach, as a restraint to over aggressiveness and exuberance of Kohli. Sadly we employed a cheerleader as coach.

While I love test cricket, I wouldn't go as far as saying T20 is meaningless cricket. T20 is providing lifeline to many cricketers who wouldn't or couldn't make it to the national team. What BCCI and other boards need to do is nurture talent in all formats and give more importance to tests. T20 can sort itself. The first step would be to do away with meaning less bilateral ODI's and T20's. T20's should be left to club based games and World cup. Same with ODI's just World cup and champions trophy and competitions such as Asian cup etc.