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[Jack]

Delhi Kotla Stadium always brings in the memories of Anil Kumble's ten wicket haul against Pakistan.

This time its the unfamilar all-ends beaten up aussies here....

Kumble's fitness in question and selection trivia with contributions coming in from everyone of the playing 11 in mohali.

Lot at stake for both the sides, even though it appears India have the upper hand in series.


Lets pitch in our thoughts and analysis about the upcoming test from Oct-29th.

[LosingNow]

Welcome Jack..

My vote is for the same XI for India.. why change a winning combination?

[flute]

lets start with the pitch. How is it supposed to behave? I heard it is going to favour spin bowling. I also hope SG, SRT & RD won't think that since they contributed in the previous test, they can take it easy for the next one, the way they did for a
long time winning one test and dropping the next one.

[Jack]

India have won the last six test matches at this venue and have not lost a test match in Delhi for almost 21 years.

I dont think this aussie team is better than the best of all the visiting teams to have played in Delhi in the past 21 yrs.

[Jack]

Welcome Jack..

My vote is for the same XI for India.. why change a winning combination?

Thanks WN.

I totally agree with ya. Alright Kumble is the captain , experienced bowler 600+ wickets bla bla blah....Media needs to know when to shut up and when not to. And this is the time in my view just to sit back and enjoy the show displayed by team India. Its not the team or any internal staffing that has any issues with the playing 11 or any changes that goes on with the team. Its all our media trying to make some headlines out of not so hoo-haa issues.

bottomline, I would stick to the same playing 11.

[flute]

Welcome Jack..

My vote is for the same XI for India.. why change a winning combination?

May the best 11 play without regard for previous gone by eras performances. Now, this best 11 should also be determined based on the conditions of the pitch.

[OldPal]

Welcome to the DG Jack !
We should also be interested in the selection dilemma of Aussies  They have an uphill task.
IMO, If Kumble is fit, The first test team will play. If unfit the second test team may play. There may be discussions of playing 5 bowlers, But I am against it knowing we have a win in our pocket. There is no point getting Extra offensve now. The surprise element should however be retained. I had said in a separate post, would love to see  Aussies do all the HW about AM, but AK playes instead. Personally I don;t see HS going anywhere. This has to be between AK and AM.

[flute]

Welcome to the DG Jack !
We should also be interested in the selection dilemma of Aussies  They have an uphill task.
IMO, If Kumble is fit, The first test team will play. If unfit the second test team may play. There may be discussions of playing 5 bowlers, But I am against it knowing we have a win in our pocket. There is no point getting Extra offensve now. The surprise element should however be retained. I had said in a separate post, would love to see  Aussies do all the HW about AM, but AK playes instead. Personally I don;t see HS going anywhere. This has to be between AK and AM.

I do not want to be in AK's shoes right now. It is a very very tough decision for him. If he decides to play and then messes up, he did be in a very tough spot. He might lose captaincy and also place in the team. At the same time, the fighter in him will not support backing down if he thinks he is fit.

[Jack]

Welcome to the DG Jack !
We should also be interested in the selection dilemma of Aussies  They have an uphill task.
IMO, If Kumble is fit, The first test team will play. If unfit the second test team may play. There may be discussions of playing 5 bowlers, But I am against it knowing we have a win in our pocket. There is no point getting Extra offensve now. The surprise element should however be retained. I had said in a separate post, would love to see  Aussies do all the HW about AM, but AK playes instead. Personally I don;t see HS going anywhere. This has to be between AK and AM.

India have some happy selection problems whereas the aussies are for all the wrong reasons...

Brett Lee -- worst bowling figures of all the aussie bowlers in the series
Hayden -- playing like he has some mental problems
White -- niether a bowler nor a batsman
Spin Options - zero
Ponting -- Barring the century in first test, he is back to his original well known form in India. -- gone 3 times to Ishant.

Cricket Australia selectors have made it clear that they would not retort to the idea of booking a flight ticket for Symmonds to join the struggling team.

There have been some unconfirmed reports that Ponting is already in discussions with thier selectors about bringing symonds back into the squad.

[justforkix]

Welcome Jack..

My vote is for the same XI for India.. why change a winning combination?

we changed a winning combo from calcutta to blore vs. Pak, perth to adelaide vs. Aus, and from galle to colombo vs. SL, so why not now

[Jack]

Welcome to the DG Jack !
We should also be interested in the selection dilemma of Aussies  They have an uphill task.
IMO, If Kumble is fit, The first test team will play. If unfit the second test team may play. There may be discussions of playing 5 bowlers, But I am against it knowing we have a win in our pocket. There is no point getting Extra offensve now. The surprise element should however be retained. I had said in a separate post, would love to see  Aussies do all the HW about AM, but AK playes instead. Personally I don;t see HS going anywhere. This has to be between AK and AM.

I do not want to be in AK's shoes right now. It is a very very tough decision for him. If he decides to play and then messes up, he did be in a very tough spot. He might lose captaincy and also place in the team. At the same time, the fighter in him will not support backing down if he thinks he is fit.

I hope the selectors and team management realises the chemistry flowing around in the team and dont mess it up...Just play it safe saying Kumble is not fully fit yet.

[justforkix]

Welcome to the DG Jack !
We should also be interested in the selection dilemma of Aussies  They have an uphill task.
IMO, If Kumble is fit, The first test team will play. If unfit the second test team may play. There may be discussions of playing 5 bowlers, But I am against it knowing we have a win in our pocket. There is no point getting Extra offensve now. The surprise element should however be retained. I had said in a separate post, would love to see  Aussies do all the HW about AM, but AK playes instead. Personally I don;t see HS going anywhere. This has to be between AK and AM.

I do not want to be in AK's shoes right now. It is a very very tough decision for him. If he decides to play and then messes up, he did be in a very tough spot. He might lose captaincy and also place in the team. At the same time, the fighter in him will not support backing down if he thinks he is fit.

If at all we make any change it should only be a straight swap of Mishra with Kumble and nothing else. And if AK is 100% fit, this should happen.

I only hope we don't go down the mess again of screwing up the entire XI trying to accomodate a player who has done well - most recent example is losing 1st 2 tests in Aus by trying to accomodate Yuvi and screwing up our entire batting lineup !!

[Jack]

Welcome Jack..

My vote is for the same XI for India.. why change a winning combination?

we changed a winning combo from calcutta to blore vs. Pak, perth to adelaide vs. Aus, and from galle to colombo vs. SL, so why not now

a losing aussie team is much different than pak and sri lanka -- GB trophy has a lot more at stake unlike any other series

[Jack]

Welcome to the DG Jack !
We should also be interested in the selection dilemma of Aussies  They have an uphill task.
IMO, If Kumble is fit, The first test team will play. If unfit the second test team may play. There may be discussions of playing 5 bowlers, But I am against it knowing we have a win in our pocket. There is no point getting Extra offensve now. The surprise element should however be retained. I had said in a separate post, would love to see  Aussies do all the HW about AM, but AK playes instead. Personally I don;t see HS going anywhere. This has to be between AK and AM.

I do not want to be in AK's shoes right now. It is a very very tough decision for him. If he decides to play and then messes up, he did be in a very tough spot. He might lose captaincy and also place in the team. At the same time, the fighter in him will not support backing down if he thinks he is fit.

If at all we make any change it should only be a straight swap of Mishra with Kumble and nothing else. And if AK is 100% fit, this should happen.

I only hope we don't go down the mess again of screwing up the entire XI trying to accomodate a player who has done well - most recent example is losing 1st 2 tests in Aus by trying to accomodate Yuvi and screwing up our entire batting lineup !!

wonder what can australia change with their non-playing members in their 14 member squad...

[justforkix]

wonder what can australia change with their non-playing members in their 14 member squad...

Here is what I'll do - fly in Shaun Marsh. Drop White - Katich and Clarke are better bowlers anyways. Play Marsh as opener and move Katich down to #6. Play with Siddle, Lee, Clark, Johnson as bowlers. Drop Watson as he is not very effective test bowler.

So, my Aussie XI for Delhi test would be:

Hayden
Marsh
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Katich
Haddin
Lee
Johnson
Clark
Siddle

[Jack]

wonder what can australia change with their non-playing members in their 14 member squad...

Here is what I'll do - fly in Shaun Marsh. Drop White - Katich and Clarke are better bowlers anyways. Play Marsh as opener and move Katich down to #6. Play with Siddle, Lee, Clark, Johnson as bowlers. Drop Watson as he is not very effective test bowler.

So, my Aussie XI for Delhi test would be:

Hayden
Marsh
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Katich
Haddin
Lee
Johnson
Clark
Siddle

good move. I'd agree with them except i wud retain watson in the place of katich.

[OldPal]

wonder what can australia change with their non-playing members in their 14 member squad...

Here is what I'll do - fly in Shaun Marsh. Drop White - Katich and Clarke are better bowlers anyways. Play Marsh as opener and move Katich down to #6. Play with Siddle, Lee, Clark, Johnson as bowlers. Drop Watson as he is not very effective test bowler.

So, my Aussie XI for Delhi test would be:

Hayden
Marsh
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Katich
Haddin
Lee
Johnson
Clark
Siddle

Are you sure you want to drop a spinner in Kotla ?

[Jack]

wonder what can australia change with their non-playing members in their 14 member squad...

Here is what I'll do - fly in Shaun Marsh. Drop White - Katich and Clarke are better bowlers anyways. Play Marsh as opener and move Katich down to #6. Play with Siddle, Lee, Clark, Johnson as bowlers. Drop Watson as he is not very effective test bowler.

So, my Aussie XI for Delhi test would be:

Hayden
Marsh
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Katich
Haddin
Lee
Johnson
Clark
Siddle

Are you sure you want to drop a spinner in Kotla ?

may be they are ineffective anyway even if they play, so better improve pace battery than deploying an ineffective spinner eh :p
kotla is typically a very turning pitch from day 3 onwards.

[justforkix]

Are you sure you want to drop a spinner in Kotla ?

what spinner ?!? where ? who ?

[Jack]

Are you sure you want to drop a spinner in Kotla ?

what spinner ?!? where ? who ?

cameron white...

he was flown in as replacement spinner to kreijza due to his superior spin bowling abilities :p

[Jack]

FEROZSHAH KOTLA, NEW DELHI

OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLE?: Nine new wickets have been re-laid this season with the promise of good lift to the pacers. But after the first day"s play between the Delhi Ranji team and the Pakistan domestic team in the Mohammad Nissar Trophy on Monday, the wicket looks like the usual "paata" of the past. Keen observers even commented that the smattering of grass may just be in the wrong area of the pitch.

"Each of the nine wickets have been relaid with a unique mix of mitti which will provide good bounce to the pacers. This kind of mix has not been used before in India. My aim is to provide an audience-friendly Test. In the T20 era, Test match is dying out, so the last thing I want is a draw," says Radhe Shyam, the curator.

PITCH REPORT: "If both the first innings are over within two days then there is a greater chance of a result. Hopefully we can produce that kind of wicket," says Radhe Shyam. When asked if he had received any directives from Daljit Singh, the pitch and grounds committee chairman Daljit Singh, Shyam retorted, "I have never received any directives from anyone, anytime during my stint as a curator of the Kotla."
__________________

[Jack]

The boundaries are really short in the Kotla ground. We are in for some run-fest if the delhi dashers continue their onslaught on aussie bowlers.

[dextrous]

cool, good to have some new active users!!!

[pipsqueak]

two things to remember

Melbourne after Adelaide in 2003/2004

Perth was the Aussie fortress.

[justforkix]

Are you sure you want to drop a spinner in Kotla ?

what spinner ?!? where ? who ?

cameron white...

he was flown in as replacement spinner to kreijza due to his superior spin bowling abilities :p

In my defense then, I have included 2 spinners already in the XI - Katich and Pup. There is no need for a 3rd spinner 

[broadbat]

two things to remember

Melbourne after Adelaide in 2003/2004

Perth was the Aussie fortress.

Kotla is the personal fortress of Sehwag,Gambhir, and Ishant.
Kumble will replace Mishra only if he is a 110% fit as he can not take any chances after what happened at B'glore.

[pipsqueak]

two things to remember

Melbourne after Adelaide in 2003/2004

Perth was the Aussie fortress.

Kotla is the personal fortress of Sehwag,Gambhir, and Ishant.
Kumble will replace Mishra only if he is a 110% fit as he can not take any chances after what happened at B'glore.

kumble is RARING to go! 

[broadbat]

Why is there such a long break between the Tests. 
No side game also for the Aussies in between.

[pipsqueak]

Why is there such a long break between the Tests. 
No side game also for the Aussies in between.

...so that some of us may get some work done! 

[justforkix]

good move. I'd agree with them except i wud retain watson in the place of katich.

in delhi, Katich with his dogged batting and part-time spin is a better bet than watson IMO.

[jks61]

Why is there such a long break between the Tests. 
No side game also for the Aussies in between.

This weekend we have the challengers (NKP Salve trophy). If we have a side game now, then the 3 teams in challengers have to get a team members from the next rung of talent pool.
The matches are being shown live in Neo and I do not expect anything other than a slug fest with the occasional possibility of some new talent emerging ( I remember Jadeja's quote after Mohali win - he said, India has strange ways of finding players/captains. He said that Dhoni was never groomed but just happened to be a captain because of T20 WC and same way, for all those claiming to have brought back Mishra (Hirwani ?? Srikant??) he asked, what were the selectors doing for 6 years, when Mishra was languishing in Domestic circuit)

[justforkix]

Why is there such a long break between the Tests. 
No side game also for the Aussies in between.

long break  it is just 8 days - as it is they are playing 2 pairs of back-to-back tests. Unless like WN, you also believe that professional cricketers are machines

No side game also for the Aussies in between.

because they want to see Taj Mahal

[broadbat]

Why is there such a long break between the Tests. 
No side game also for the Aussies in between.

long break  it is just 8 days - as it is they are playing 2 pairs of back-to-back tests. Unless like WN, you also believe that professional cricketers are machines

No side game also for the Aussies in between.

because they want to see Taj Mahal

That is long imo. A gap of 4-5 days is ok. I think Diwali stretched the break.

[dhruvdeepak]

I MAY NOT BE COMING TO DELHI 

just got work with a client starting sunday 

[Nima]

Delhi "Parting gift" awaits Kumble

October 22, 2008

THE curator of the Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla ground has declared his hand a week ahead of the third Test, saying a cracked and spinning surface will be his "parting gift" to Anil Kumble.

In the latest piece of bad news for an Australian team still struggling to come to terms with their 320-run hiding in Mohali, Delhi curator Radhey Shyam Sharma said he was preparing a surface tailored to the needs of Kumble, who is likely to return to captain India following his absence from the second Test due to a shoulder problem.

“This will be my parting gift to Kumble,” Sharma told the Indian Express.

“I've always made wickets that suit Kumble and this time won't be any different.

“This wicket against Australia will give some assistance to seamers initially but the spinners can come into play as early as the third morning.

“There will be no dust on the wicket but the ball will tend to grip on the pitch and get more turn. There'll be a bit of uneven bounce with the wear and tear.”

Sharma has enjoyed an exceptionally close relationship with Kumble over the years.

His first Test as curator at the ground was Australia's heavy 1996 defeat in a one-off match on a tinder-dry surface that Kumble exploited to the full.

In 1999, Sharma was said to have argued with Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin to allow Kumble to bowl from the ground's pavilion end, an action that hurried the bowler on his way to the incredible second innings figures of 10-74 against Pakistan.

“There's no way he will miss that match,” Sharma said of Kumble.

“This venue is very special to him and he'll play come what may.”

Being made to look almost obsolete by the two men who replaced him did not stop Kumble from showering the highest praise on his team for their record second Test win.

Stand-in captain Mahendra Dhoni was a popular choice as man-of-the-match after leading the side with great panache and also adding a batting double of 92 and 68no.

Debutant legspinner Amit Mishra bowled with maturity and guile unbecoming of a first gamer, his seven wickets for the match exposing an Australian weakness against classical legspin - far removed from the unorthodox ways of Kumble.

“While I always thought our batters coming good was a matter of time, to bowl like this consistently is heartwarming,” Kumble wrote in the Hindustan Times.

“That's the wonderful nature of this Test, it was such a team effort.

“Our bowlers were able to swing the ball, theirs struggled to.

“Our batters hung in there, theirs folded.

“It was very heartening to see MS Dhoni lead from the front and it was fantastic to watch the way the team approached the game and the intensity we kept up throughout.

“And while I unfortunately had to sit this one out, I'm raring to get going at the Kotla, my favourite Test centre.”

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24536155-23212,00.html

[broadbat]

In which case it is an additional 2 day's rest for the Aussie's as the game will finish within 3 day's.

[Jack]

Western Australia player Shaun Marsh has been selected as a replacement for injured opening batsman Phil Jacques in the Australian squad for the Test match series against India.

[Jack]

Lot of our players are back with families at home before the third test begins...

here is doni checking out the construction of his new house in the land gifted by Jarkhand state govt.

[dhruvdeepak]

Delhi "Parting gift" awaits Kumble

October 22, 2008

THE curator of the Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla ground has declared his hand a week ahead of the third Test, saying a cracked and spinning surface will be his "parting gift" to Anil Kumble.

In the latest piece of bad news for an Australian team still struggling to come to terms with their 320-run hiding in Mohali, Delhi curator Radhey Shyam Sharma said he was preparing a surface tailored to the needs of Kumble, who is likely to return to captain India following his absence from the second Test due to a shoulder problem.

“This will be my parting gift to Kumble,” Sharma told the Indian Express.

“I've always made wickets that suit Kumble and this time won't be any different.

“This wicket against Australia will give some assistance to seamers initially but the spinners can come into play as early as the third morning.

“There will be no dust on the wicket but the ball will tend to grip on the pitch and get more turn. There'll be a bit of uneven bounce with the wear and tear.”

Sharma has enjoyed an exceptionally close relationship with Kumble over the years.

His first Test as curator at the ground was Australia's heavy 1996 defeat in a one-off match on a tinder-dry surface that Kumble exploited to the full.

In 1999, Sharma was said to have argued with Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin to allow Kumble to bowl from the ground's pavilion end, an action that hurried the bowler on his way to the incredible second innings figures of 10-74 against Pakistan.

“There's no way he will miss that match,” Sharma said of Kumble.

“This venue is very special to him and he'll play come what may.”

Being made to look almost obsolete by the two men who replaced him did not stop Kumble from showering the highest praise on his team for their record second Test win.

Stand-in captain Mahendra Dhoni was a popular choice as man-of-the-match after leading the side with great panache and also adding a batting double of 92 and 68no.

Debutant legspinner Amit Mishra bowled with maturity and guile unbecoming of a first gamer, his seven wickets for the match exposing an Australian weakness against classical legspin - far removed from the unorthodox ways of Kumble.

“While I always thought our batters coming good was a matter of time, to bowl like this consistently is heartwarming,” Kumble wrote in the Hindustan Times.

“That's the wonderful nature of this Test, it was such a team effort.

“Our bowlers were able to swing the ball, theirs struggled to.

“Our batters hung in there, theirs folded.

“It was very heartening to see MS Dhoni lead from the front and it was fantastic to watch the way the team approached the game and the intensity we kept up throughout.

“And while I unfortunately had to sit this one out, I'm raring to get going at the Kotla, my favourite Test centre.”

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24536155-23212,00.html

hehehe SHAMELESS pitch curator.

anyway, the stage is now set for australia to make a rousing fightback on the most difficult and foreign of surfaces and win against the odds.
those old guys hayden and ponting and hussey have too much champions' material in them to lay over and die for the opposition.

we'll have to play extremely well , cracked pitch or not, to win the next match.

should not taunt lions with sticks.

[Jack]

should not taunt lions with sticks.

yea...aussies have done a bad mistake here by doing that