South Africa v India, 1st Test, Centurion, Dec 16-20, 2010

Lets get started.

South Africa-

Smith(c)
Peterson
Amla
Kallis
DeVilliers
Prince
Boucher+
Botha
McLaren
Steyn
M.Morkel

India-

Gambhir
Sehwag
Dravid
Tendulkar
Laxman
Pujara
Dhoni(c)+
Harbhajan
Zaheer
Ishant
Sreesanth

I hope to God McLaren isn't picked.

Robbie Peterson opening the batting is an odd choice.

BTW, Clive Rice has tipped India. He feels that the Indians can take twenty wickets but the South Africans will struggle to.

http://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/IndiaInSA/Rice-favours-India-20101208

Red wrote:Robbie Peterson opening the batting is an odd choice.

BTW, Clive Rice has tipped India. He feels that the Indians can take twenty wickets but the South Africans will struggle to.

http://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/IndiaInSA/Rice-favours-India-20101208

1. Nice tits Red.
2. Clive Rice has become a bitter, publicity seeking old man. Last month he was rabbiting on about Hansie being murdered. Not to be taken seriously.

Well Sooky has implied that he's a sour old qunt.

Red wrote:Well Sooky has implied that he's a sour old qunt.

And I said it straight. 'tis a pity as I admired him as a cricketer, but he got farked over by CSA.

Raina most likely to line up for the 1st test. Ishant/Sreesanth and as always Sehwag will be very crucial in this series.

For the saffies, I think AB will be the biggest hurdle.

if Dravid struggles, is Punjara on standby?

Dravid is safe for this series unless he has an absolute stinker.

and this is 3 Tests or 4?

taipan wrote:I hope to God McLaren isn't picked.

Who else is in the frame? Parnell? Tsotsobe? The third seamer is a bit of a weakness for South Africa at the moment.

Henry wrote:

taipan wrote:I hope to God McLaren isn't picked.

Who else is in the frame? Parnell? Tsotsobe? The third seamer is a bit of a weakness for South Africa at the moment.

Would prefer either of them. McLaren is a drossweasel

Nath wrote:and this is 3 Tests or 4?

3.

Shame it isn't 4 or even 5.

Nath wrote:if Dravid struggles, is Punjara on standby?

Ideally, Pujara should be playing in final XI ahead of Suresh "can't play any decent bowling" Raina. A struggling Dravid (even in his worst form) is several times better than him especially due to solidity he provides.

But Raina is Dhoni's favorite and it will take more than just bad form/technique for him to be dislodged from the Indian test team.

So it will take a refusal on Raina's part to suck Dhoni's c*ck?

All the Indian batsmen will be on trial, let us not single out Dravid. As it was posted elsewhere none of them average over 40 barring Laxman. Dravid has a 50 plus average in ODIs though.

The big difference to me would be the pressure exerted by SA in the field. That would make their attack more potent than India's even though I don't think the SA attack is that much superior.

It'll depend a lot on which Ishant turns up - I think Tendulkar and co will go alright against Steyn and Morkel, fantastic bowlers though they both are, but the question is whether India's bowling will be as much of a hassle for the almost-as-good South African batting line up. I don't think India will have missed Kumble more since he retired, either, can't see Harbajahn doing that much.

Heard on some news channel that Tendulkar is injured in a practice session.

I hope that's just exaggerating a Umesh Yadav bouncer which hit him on the head. Wasn't serious.

If he can't handle a Umesh Yadav bouncer, how'll he handle Steyn & Co?

He'll struggle to make 100 runs in this series.

Raina may refuse to chow down on Dhoni's schlong??? What is the world coming too?????

SG wrote:If he can't handle a Umesh Yadav bouncer, how'll he handle Steyn & Co?

He'll struggle to make 100 runs in this series.

TBF, it was on a 5th day pitch with uneven bounce.

doremi wrote:

SG wrote:If he can't handle a Umesh Yadav bouncer, how'll he handle Steyn & Co?

He'll struggle to make 100 runs in this series.

TBF, it was on a 5th day pitch with uneven bounce.

Note to Steyn and Co. Don't bounce SRT on a 5th day pitch

So no first class cricket for South Africa's players before the first test, either?