[Oxy]

I hear Mayank is going to make way for Rohit next test. Also, they should find a way to include KL Rahul, maybe in place of Vihari.

Saini would also most likely play instead of Umesh.

[VWAllstar]

My XI for next test:

R Sharma
S Gill
C Pujara
A Rahane (c)
KL Rahul
R Pant (wk)
R Jadeja
R Ashwin
M Siraj
N Saini
J Bhumrah

I think replacing Pant with Rahul as a WK also makes sense. You can then play Vihari.

On a lighter note- We wish to hear Sharma call out Puji for a run

[redCherry]

Me too think both Rahul & Rohit will come in, in place of Mayank & Vihari (who replaces who is not sure), in next test match.

But, I'm not too confident of Rohit, the Test-match player, especially overseas.

We've seen that enough, right? Hope he proves me wrong in next 2 tests.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by redCherry

Me too think both Rahul & Rohit will come in, in place of Mayank & Vihari (who replaces who is not sure), in next test match.
But, I'm not too confident of Rohit, the Test-match player, especially overseas.
We've seen that enough, right? Hope he proves me wrong in next 2 tests.

Honestly, both Rohit and Rahul don't deserve to play in the series. They have been an absolute failure in SENA and have nothing great to show for all the chances they got previously. Plus, they have no red ball domestic exploits in last year or so and they didn't even played the practice matches to be in some sort of touch.

However, team management goes more by players white ball reputation these days. Vihari won't lose his spot cos he batted reasonably well in both tests so don't see Rahul coming in atleast for 3rd test. Rohit will definitely replace Mayank as Rahane indicated. Mayank has only himself to blame as he has abysmal stats for last 12+ innings.

Rohit for Mayank
Saini for Umesh
These are the only changes I can see for next match.

[KPR]

I'm just imagining what Kohli could've done now after 36 all out debacle! Kohli I feel should enjoy batting and give away his test captaincy to Rahane. I'm sure the aurora around Rahane's calmness has won us this match. Hopefully this series even if it ends in 2-2 is a big achievement for Rahane as a captain. The next underrated player these two matches was Ashwin and his intelligence. He's street smart and is intimidating by his bowling. We've been lucky to have aggressive off spinners like Harbhajan and now Ashwin. Opponents know their value very much.

Originally Posted by harry10

Honestly, both Rohit and Rahul don't deserve to play in the series. They have been an absolute failure in SENA and have nothing great to show for all the chances they got previously. Plus, they have no red ball domestic exploits in last year or so and they didn't even played the practice matches to be in some sort of touch.

+1 to excluding Rahul & Rohit. Moreover those two Gill's innings have changed things now. Why not give Vihari and Mayank an extension?

[Venkatesh]

Australia lose four ICC World Test Championship points and get fined 40% of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against India in the second test



Source

[pandey.jai]

Great victory. Loved the way the team came back from the horrors of 36 all out.

Regarding the next match, as much as I would prefer Mayank getting another game, I think Rohit Sharma will get included at his expense.

India need to somehow find a good left handed opener who can mess with the bowlers rhythm.


Speaking of, I’ve read reports of Warner coming in for Aussies. If he finds his groove, the run rate will improve a whole lot and it will put pressure on the Indian camp.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by KPR

I'm just imagining what Kohli could've done now after 36 all out debacle! Kohli I feel should enjoy batting and give away his test captaincy to Rahane. I'm sure the aurora around Rahane's calmness has won us this match.

I am seeing a lot of such posts all over social media. Let me give my 2 cents on this.

First of all, I am 100% sure Kohli wouldn't have missed this series if it was anything other than his Child's birth. People who have questioned his commitment to the team haven't followed his career since start. The guy is too much passionate to win and loves to play in Australia.

Kohli has won 33 matches and lost 13 matches out of 56 he has captained since 2014 when dhoni resigned midway Australia tour. His win percentage is 59% which is the highest for any Indian captain till date. Also, he has the highest win percentage among all current international Captains since he was made captain. Kane Williamson is next.

Don't know what people are smoking when they ask he shouldn't be test captain. His team selection is often controversial but no one can deny his stats as captain. Also he has the best batting average in the team as a batsman since he was made captain. Even ICC team of the decade has Kohli as test captain and not Williamson or Smith. What else people want more?

Also, if Rahane wouldn't have sold Kohli down the river in first match he would have made a big score and our lead would be quite high with a different result probably. People asking Rahane to be made Captain are the same ones who were accusing him for our bad state in last match. People have fickle memory.

Kohli the IPL RCB captain is very different from Kohli the International team captain. His ODI captain stats are-
63 Wins and 26 losses with a win % of 70%. Again it's highest among all current ODI international Captains. For eg- Williamson has 55% and Aaron Finch has 56% win percentage. Still people keep on saying Rohit Sharma should be captain just because he wins IPL for his franchise.

Also, Kohli has Captained India in only 2 ICC tournaments till date. Dhoni captained in 10 ICC tournaments and won 3 of them. People have even forgotten in 2018 we won the Test Series in Australia for the first time in our cricket history and the Captain was Kohli itself. Just because he is aggressive and hyper charged most of the time doesn't makes him a bad Captain and just because Rahane has a gentle and cool personality makes him a better Captain. He did a brilliant job this game and that is why he is the VC of team since long.

Last stat- We have lost only 1 test ( 2017 Pune) under Kohli's Captaincy at home since 2014. If this was Australia or England they would have knighted their Captain for being so dominant at home.

By the way I hate Kohli+Shastri combo and wish we had a better coach like Tom Moody but sadly this is how it is and will remain so atleast till Shastri's contract is done.

[KPR]

Originally Posted by harry10

Also, if Rahane wouldn't have sold Kohli down the river in first match he would have made a big score and our lead would be quite high with a different result probably. People asking Rahane to be made Captain are the same ones who were accusing him for our bad state in last match. People have fickle memory.

First instance Kohli as a batsman (not because a captain) he was run out which became the turning point for the match. Next Rahane was accused as a batsman not as a captain for his first test performance. Hope you didn't go through my previous posts on Rahane. I said I will be happy if Rahane proves me wrong after his first test.

[Eddy]

The problem with Kohli's captaincy is chop and change, and it is the same problem across formats. He has not been able to identify talent and stick with it. Like MSD did, like Gangly did.

He selects players on impulse, and discards them as quickly. Tymal Mills had one good series - buy him. Have heard a lot about Shivam Dube - buy him. Pujara did not show "intent" in 1-2 games - drop him. Although I must admit that he handles fast bowlers better than his predecessors.

While he has won a lot, I don't think the returns are commensurate to the talent pool and the team we have currently.

Like Harry said, there is NO DOUBT on his passion, commitment, fitness and his positive influence on the team in all these areas. But team building is a big downer.

That said, I don't think there is a better alternative available for the long term. He should continue, with better support from the coach. Maybe someone like an MSD who can guide him on how to spot and support talent.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by KPR

First instance Kohli as a batsman (not because a captain) he was run out which became the turning point for the match. Next Rahane was accused as a batsman not as a captain for his first test performance. Hope you didn't go through my previous threads on Rahane. I said I will be happy if Rahane proves me wrong after his first test.

Not at all. I was speaking in the general terms. Don't get me wrong. I like Rahane since his Rajasthan Royals days and when he wasn't even a test permanent. He along with Pujara should always start overseas no matter their form. I was just presenting facts why Kohli shouldn't be removed as Captain if performance and results are the criteria. I am cool if Rahane is made permanent captain too cos at the end of the day we all just want team to win matches.

Anyways, back to the series. Warner is more or less confirmed for SCG and Pucvoski might be his opening partner. Wade will either play at head's number or not play at all. Umesh's recovery is also reported as going good so I hope we don't need Saini. Rohit is more or less confirmed. I hope he scores otherwise we will again be thinking who to play in 4th test. Also, weather forecast doesn't looks good for SCG with quite a bit of rain predicted. Though we only need 3.5 days to get a result

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Ajinkya Rahane joins the elite list of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli to win a Boxing Day Test match as Indian captain.

The proud recipient and the inaugural winner of the Mullagh Medal.

In the end, it was a perfect fairy tale match for Rahane. He scored 139 n.o in the match where the highest from the opposition was 48 on their home soil. He stood up as the skipper & delivered when it mattered. This element was missing in Kohli's captaincy of late - a good wake up call for Kohli to pull up on the captaincy front.
PS: A good read - How was Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy different from Virat Kohli’s?

While Kohli is brattish and won't let this happen, this would be in the best interest of Indian cricket:

• T20I Captain: Rohit Sharma (Kohli at No 3 or 4). Rohit because he has used the team resources well in IPL and has results to show. He will make a better T20 captain than Kohli.
• ODI captain: Kohli (with Kohli at No 3). ODI pace suits Kohli perfectly.
• Test Captain: Any stable member assured of the place in 11, & Rahane has put his hand up. (Kohli at No 4). The reason for the change is Kohli is turning the Indian cricket team into 'Friends of Kohli XI', which includes the coach. It would be difficult for Kohli to win tests in the future with such a team. India has such a bad past overseas test record that Kohli's meddlesome is overlooked & ignored. But the team can perform better than what under Kohli.

Originally Posted by srishiva

I think certain players like Mayank and Rahul go all out and change their style too much to score in IPL.

Rahul has turned from a solid Test batsman into an IPL star. Mayank is following him.

[Fx14]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Australia lose four ICC World Test Championship points and get fined 40% of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against India in the second test

As things stand currently, the top four teams in the ICC World Test Championship points table with a realistic chance of reaching the Finals are the same as the semi - finalists in the last ODI WC.

Most probably India vs Australia in the Final , barring any major upsets in the last few series left.

The next 2 tests should be used to finalize the ideal team composition for overseas tests / the Finals, given that our next series (last one before the Finals) is at home.

The Adelaide '36' innings was a timely wake up call against one bad session in overseas conditions, like in the ODI WC semi-final.

[Eddy]

A review of Virat's captaincy

https://twitter.com/CrickeyRicky/sta...965528064?s=19

[vibbs]

^^ I think that's a fanboy account.

What it does not talk about, is that the matches India lost to SA in SA was purely due to his selection blunders. Dropping Rahane who arguably had the best overseas record and temperament in the Indian team was the dumbest decision.

Kind of re-inforced by Rahane when he scored 48 odd in the third innings of the final test match on a really tough pitch. The only match India managed to win.

The away test wins (baring Australia - I agree great achievement despite absence of Smith and Warner) are in WI and SL.

India have mostly been a very strong team at home baring the absolutely horrible periods.

The team is world class no doubt.

One thing I really credit Kohli for is his faith in fast bowlers. He has a great bunch and backs them to core. Even the home pitches under him have rarely been the dust bowls of past.

I don't know what makes him do the selection the way he does, perhaps coach or perhaps something beyond my novice mind.

I keep wondering what if he had done this in SA, what if he had done that in Eng etc. Etc.

But in the hindsight we are all smart . So who knows what if..

I think it is great that we have a team that can finally take the fight to opposition in their turf despite missing 4 natural starters one of whome is the captain and also the world's best batsman. This is something we should celebrate. Debate on Kohli captaincy notwithstanding.