India v Aus
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And so the first big event of a huge cricketing year is upon us, India hosting Aus
on the eve of the first test, and surprise surprise all chat is about the pitch
the pregame chat is that the areas outside off for a left hand batsman are dry as fuck, while everything else is watered and rolled. Aus are loaded with lefties, India have 1.
certainly some of the pics look a little interesting
It's going to be a huge series, Aus have lost Hazlewood and Green already before the first test, but the main selection headache is who gets the 2nd spinner spot?
This is also a prelude to the world test final later on this year.
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@mariner4life said in India v Aus:
areas outside off for a left hand batsman are dry as fuck
that's bloody funny. Home advantage yo!
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@mariner4life the best part is not the images of the pitch.
It's the Indian fans snapping back at anyone daring to suggest this is even a little unusual.
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They pretty much came out and said they're preparing pitches that suit them, and fair play, that's what home advantage is all about in test cricket. The Aus quicks certainly enjoy most of their pitches at home. I'd hate to see that changed, it'd take away from the challenge and meaning of winning test matches in hostile territory.
Should be a cracker of a series, plenty on the line. Aus have been phenomenal of late, would be great to see them stick it to the Indians on their home turf.
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I remember getting shit years ago when South Africa toured when we had VERY green pitches, suited our seamers well and not so much their bowlers….I’m sure this is pretty much the same thing…but it feels wrong, at least with a generally green pitch both are playing on the same surface…here being so specificity tailored….they’re almost going to be playing completely different surfaces
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@Kiwiwomble said in India v Aus:
I remember getting shit years ago when South Africa toured when we had VERY green pitches, suited our seamers well and not so much their bowlers….I’m sure this is pretty much the same thing…but it feels wrong, at least with a generally green pitch both are playing on the same surface…here being so specificity tailored….they’re almost going to be playing completely different surfaces
I don’t think it does.
The way I look at it, no matter how much the pitch is prepared in a certain way, there is still the unpredictability from weather conditions on the day(s), winning the toss and actual player performance.
If you’re good enough and all that stuff.
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It does lead me to think that the concept that the visiting captain gets to choose to bat or bowl, i.e., do away with the toss, whilst the home groundsman get free rein has real merit.
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@Kiwiwomble said in India v Aus:
I remember getting shit years ago when South Africa toured when we had VERY green pitches, suited our seamers well and not so much their bowlers….I’m sure this is pretty much the same thing…but it feels wrong, at least with a generally green pitch both are playing on the same surface…here being so specificity tailored….they’re almost going to be playing completely different surfaces
One of the aspects of touring is dealing with the local conditions; hard pitches, green pitches etc.. What the Pajeets are doing is entirely different.
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It is 'wrong', but not technically illegal. But, it is also funny, because it isn't us, even better that it is Australia.
This isn't just "home pitches favour home teams, so suck it up," etc. I'm fine with all that. Go for gold prepping a spinning pitch, IMO. But it should be prepared evenly.
Reminds me of the stories of Kent and Derek Underwood. Where one end was prepared differently to the other, in 1970s county cricket.
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It is a strange phenomenon that LHBs are very rare in the Indian system. Where as in most other countries the proportion of LHBs that rise to the top are waaaaaaaaay out of proportion to the numbers in society. Even accounting for those who bat with their 'wrong' hand compared to their bowling and throwing.
I think I've read/heard that they generally get eaten up in the system that probably has 0.8 billion really good off-spinners.
So, contrary to other countries, being a LHB is a disadvantage in India. But, why this wouldn't also hold true for Sri Lanka etc, I don't get. As SL could be called the land of the LHB. So, probably a theory that needs more analysis ...
But, honestly. Try to list Indian LHBs' Ganguly, Gambhir, Kambli .... thats it right? in about 40 years? Unless you are a nerd and remember Wookeri Raman in the 1990 tour here ....
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OK. Statsguru.
Tells me I missed Dhawan (I think I morph him and Gambhir into the same person ...) and Yuvraj, and the opener S Ramesh - of the specialist batsmen.
Plus Pant and Jadeja and I Pathan - of the allrounders.
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Since 1980.
129 LHBs have faced at least 2000 deliveries in test cricket.8 out of 129 are Indian (Kambli didn't make the cutoff).
6% of them Indian.
They've played in 385 of the 1622 tests in that period
(23% of the tests, 6% of the left-handers)
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@antipodean said in India v Aus:
One of the aspects of touring is dealing with the local conditions; hard pitches, green pitches etc.. What the Pajeets are doing is entirely different.
Either make a dustbowl, or don't.
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Good luck to them I say. If that's what the national team has to stoop to in order to not get murdered by their billion crazy fans, at least we've ensured the lives of a dozen cricketing millionaires and their corrupt-as-fuck millionaire administrators, while large parts of their population shit in the street.
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@NTA hey, they fund our cricket infrastructure here. Go easy on them
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@Kiwiwomble said in India v Aus:
I remember getting shit years ago when South Africa toured when we had VERY green pitches, suited our seamers well and not so much their bowlers….I’m sure this is pretty much the same thing…but it feels wrong, at least with a generally green pitch both are playing on the same surface…here being so specificity tailored….they’re almost going to be playing completely different surfaces
When on earth was this? and by who?
This sounds completely wrong. Usually South Africa are so well matched to us, have the same strengths but are just better than us, that we prepare dull/dry pitches. - presumably hoping for draws? To not much avail. South African tours to NZ are usually the dullest run-fests. Think 1999 especially.
A South African tour seems get us double-guessing our cricketing purpose for being on this earth. To which the answer seems to be, 'meh. Lets just limit the damage'.
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@Rapido im honest not sure, im not even sure it works, just that there was a bit out outcry that we were trying it
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Apart from the modern NZ day 1 fake green-road, that were for both tests last year. South Africa have never hit a green-top in NZ since re-admission.
If they did, they would have ripped us apart with Donald, Pollock, Steyn, Philander, Morkel et al.
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@Rapido that link doesn't actually say what the pitches were like though does it?
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I recall (maybe completely incorrectly) that a few years ago there was a number of pitch's prepared in NZ that looked hideously green but the played quite well?
May have been something to do with covid and not having time to prepare them correctly so they had to have the grass there to hold them together otherwise they'd fall apart?
They'd look green as apples on the first day, then brown off and yeah by day 5 they were literally falling to pieces.
Of course I can't remember any useful information like dates or who they were playing that might help identify when this happened.
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I'm really looking forward to this. Huge challenge for Aus, can't wait to see how they respond, and if India can get up once again at home.
Plus, spinning wickets make for great entertaining cricket. You can't miss a ball.
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Aus win the toss and bat.
Khawaja gone thanks to a successful Indian review.
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@KiwiMurph said in India v Aus:
Aus win the toss and bat.
Khawaja gone thanks to a successful Indian review.
good review! Looked marginal live, but they really got that right. Well done.
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@Rapido said in India v Aus:
It is a strange phenomenon that LHBs are very rare in the Indian system. Where as in most other countries the proportion of LHBs that rise to the top are waaaaaaaaay out of proportion to the numbers in society. Even accounting for those who bat with their 'wrong' hand compared to their bowling and throwing.
I think I've read/heard that they generally get eaten up in the system that probably has 0.8 billion really good off-spinners.
So, contrary to other countries, being a LHB is a disadvantage in India. But, why this wouldn't also hold true for Sri Lanka etc, I don't get. As SL could be called the land of the LHB. So, probably a theory that needs more analysis ...
But, honestly. Try to list Indian LHBs' Ganguly, Gambhir, Kambli .... thats it right? in about 40 years? Unless you are a nerd and remember Wookeri Raman in the 1990 tour here ....
There's a theory about it relating to hockey for women's cricket here - maybe hockey alongside those 800 million offspinners in India too...
And a related conversation further into the thread:
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@Kiwiwomble said in India v Aus:
@Rapido im honest not sure, im not even sure it works, just that there was a bit out outcry that we were trying it
Might have been a different team?
I remember when John Wright brought his Indians out here, we gave them something as green as Queen Jealousy's fiery green gown!
Wee Davey gone and it's a thing of beauty to send him on his way - cartwheeling stumps!!!
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@Chris-B quite possibly, im definitely not an Almanac, wasn;t so much about who it was against as pointing out pitches that favour the home team are not new and NZ are not above doing it...but this is at best a very extreme example of it
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Kohli puts Steve Smith down on what was a very tough chance.
Really good battle this.
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@KiwiMurph said in India v Aus:
Kohli puts Steve Smith down on what was a very tough chance.
Really good battle this.
That chance was so quick, just reflex. He did well to get his hand to it
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Smith and BusChange are exactly the two batters you want to see appear if you suddenly find yourselves 2/2...
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2 wickets in two balls by the look ... Aus 84/4
Edit: yep, Jadeja on a hat trick.
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and now 173/8. India yet to bat, but looks well below par at the moment.
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I read Travis Head wasn't picked for this game because clever reasons. Whatever they were, they somehow look even dumber in hindsight.
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After one over Rohit has surpassed the joint run-making contributions of Waj, Warner, Renshaw, Cummins, Murphy, Lyon and Boland.
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@Chris-B said in India v Aus:
After one over Rohit has surpassed the joint run-making contributions of Waj, Warner, Renshaw, Cummins, Murphy, Lyon and Boland.
That was an especially generous opening over from a bowler of Pat Cummins quality. Lyon being brought into the attack as I type... thought Boland deserved at least a second over with the new ball, given he settled into his work without a first over of random looseners...
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Looking at the Aussie wickets, the plan to doctor the pitch isn't apparent yet.
Waj - feet
Warner - feet
Labuschagne - decision making poor
Henshaw - close umpiring decision but half-arsed feet and not playing for spin.
Smith - massive gap between bat and bad
Carey - reverse sweep. ugh...
Cummins - good ball to a tail ender but poor decision
Murphy - reaching
Hanscomb - trying to smack it 8 down, so got what it deserved.
Boland - played the wrong line. No feet. He's a #11 -
@NTA said in India v Aus:
the plan to doctor the pitch isn't apparent yet.
2/2 to pace isn't the pitch. Long way back from 177, although it's not massively below par for this ground it appears. Going to be a result!
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@nzzp said in India v Aus:
@NTA said in India v Aus:
the plan to doctor the pitch isn't apparent yet.
2/2 to pace isn't the pitch. Long way back from 177, although it's not massively below par for this ground it appears. Going to be a result!
Only saw highlights bc I don't have Kayo, but the only result is likely a crushing defeat to Australia.
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Brain fade by Australia in dropping Travis Head plays spin better than most Aussie batsmen.
Hanscome a decent bat but not on the level Head has been at for the last 2 years.
Maybe they freaked out over the way they thought the pitch was being prepared and dropped a leftie but still over reacting before the pitch is fully prepared. -
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