India and Sri Lanka to arrange tour for Jan or Feb..

SG wrote:Apparently NZ captain Vettori is pretty keen on adding a 3rd test in Ind-NZ test series. Kiwi coach already sounded upbeat about this request.

So the only approval left is the one from NZC.

A three test series will serve India more in case another cow pasture ambushes us in the first test like the last tour in 2003. A two test series means a series defeat if we lose the first one and can't win the next in relatively shorter preparation time. We do usually and traditionally lose the first test in changes condiotions overseas on most away tours and there is long history of fighting back later and still losing 1-0. Of course the last decade has seen India not falling into this pattern too often and even getting in 1-0 leads and wins.

Given India's shaky middle order and GG under some doubts at the time being on how he will fare on faster wickets abroad, India can't afford such a short test series where margin of error and comeback will be that much less.

Nevertheless, this team will certainly and hopefully pull off one win and a 3 test series will be our ebst bet for a test series win in case we lose the initiative in the first test, to at least draw the series later if not win from there. Also since Dhoni will be leading overseas for the first time, he will get more chances to amend and experiment should he flunk the test in the very first test.

NZ wanting a third Test? Will wonders never cease?

Zat wrote:NZ wanting a third Test? Will wonders never cease?

No. It is BCCI which wants an extra test match added to the tour. NZ are yet to respond!

The third test is doomed. NZC are even more useless than the BCCI.

Oh and I really really really hope they prepare cow pastures this time.

doremi wrote:The third test is doomed. NZC are even more useless than the BCCI.

Oh and I really really really hope they prepare cow pastures this time.

In the order of:

Zak
Ishant
Munaf
Sree
RP.....

Pretty much yeah....I hope so too!

doremi wrote:The third test is doomed. NZC are even more useless than the BCCI.

Keep telling yourself that shirley, s'impossible.

Batman wrote:

doremi wrote:The third test is doomed. NZC are even more useless than the BCCI.

Oh and I really really really hope they prepare cow pastures this time.

In the order of:

Zak
Ishant
Munaf
Sree
RP.....

Pretty much yeah....I hope so too!

we had srinath/nehra/zaheer last time round yet tuffey and bond outgunned us.

even now, there batsmen will be that little bit more effective on cow pastures - they're more used to such pitches

Indian posters,

Stop complaining about cow pastures of 2002 because

1- IND have been "preparing" dark sides of moon for years now yet i don't hear too many complaints from you guys.

2- Cow pastures are cool because batsmen suffer, these batsmen have taken far too much advantage of mediocre bowling and flat pitches. I find the low scoring matches to be quite interesting.

1- IND have been "preparing" dark sides of moon for years now yet i don't hear too many complaints from you guys.

Absolutely rubbish argument.

Atleast batsmen from both sides are able to score in India while '02 series was absolutely reverse of that.

India got bundled out for 99 and still managed to take a lead by dismissing NZ for 94. Some other scores in that 2-test series were 161, 247, 121, 154, 6/160. If you call those scores fair then its your choice.

India have lost plenty of series abroad on unhelpful pitches but this series was out and out disgrace as far as pitches were concerned and cores from both teams pretty much confirmed it.

Vettori is reportedly very happy at the prospect of finally playing a 3-test series.

Which was the last 3-test series NZ played?

SG wrote:

1- IND have been "preparing" dark sides of moon for years now yet i don't hear too many complaints from you guys.

Absolutely rubbish argument.

Atleast batsmen from both sides are able to score in India while '02 series was absolutely reverse of that.

India got bundled out for 99 and still managed to take a lead by dismissing NZ for 94. Some other scores in that 2-test series were 161, 247, 121, 154, 6/160. If you call those scores fair then its your choice.

India have lost plenty of series abroad on unhelpful pitches but this series was out and out disgrace as far as pitches were concerned and cores from both teams pretty much confirmed it.

SG,
The first test match of that series was very similar to the recent kanpur test

It was basically a 3 innings match...
1st innings- Dravid made 76
Richardson made 89
Tendulkar made 51

2nd test match i agree was a bit too low scoring for some but i reckon batting was as difficult as it was during the last part of the Mumbai test match.

Recently PAK and SA played a very low scoring game as well so pitches shouldn't be an excuse.

The first test match of that series was very similar to the recent kanpur test

SA were 1/151 at one stage while India scored 300+ in their first innings of Kanpur test. I don't have an idea how can you compare these 2 tests.

it was during the last part of the Mumbai test match.

As a matter of fact, Mumbai received unseasonal rains just on the previous day of that test while someone from NZC admitted (don't remember the name) that they deliberately watered the pitch mid way through the test.

Those scores in Kanpur test showed that batsmen could still score runs on that pitch.

SG wrote:

The first test match of that series was very similar to the recent kanpur test

SA were 1/151 at one stage while India scored 300+ in their first innings of Kanpur test. I don't have an idea how can you compare these 2 tests.

there were 2 fairly big individual scores in the NZ test (Richardson and Dravid)

Richardson in particular lasted for 405 mins.
I reckon IND just batted poorly as i remember quite a few people making comments like " India played as if they didn't want to be some where else"....

plus don't you enjoy such pitches where these evil batsmen struggle.

My take has always been that the NZ series pitches of 03 were the most diabolical and deliberate pitches prepared. Even NZ members of board and ex-captains like M.Crowe called them a disgrace. That said I always maintaine that again in terms of results, bowling on both sides benefitted equally and that it was still India's fault for not winning a single test since it had better batsmen than NZ in terms of records, achivements and ability in having people of the calibre of Sehwag, Sachin, Dravid and Laxman [Even if I don't mention Ganguly]. These famed big bats failed to struck partnerships where the likes of Oram and McMillan succeeded. In both tests the difference in both sides was nearly a mere 50 odd runs and our batting should have got more than they did.

That said IF the same kind of pitches are offered today, I have no doubt that India's batting will finally deliver as the likes of Sachin, Laxman, Sehwag and Dravid [???] are more tempered and experienced now to handle such pitch hijacks then they were 5 years back. And the fact is that the Kiwis don't have a good enough batting line up anymore, nay even people committed to fight it out, like the lesser gifted but focussed lot of McMillan, Richardson, Fleming and the talented Cairns-Astle in the ranks. In fact I am inclined to say ironically that the best batsman the Kiwis have at the moment is the Captain Daniel Vettori who is also their strike bowler.

The strategy of preparing such pitches then once again will backfire bigtime because this time the Kiwis don't have either a good pace attack, nor a reliable batting side to match India.

And PP, I HAVE to agree with SG here. The Kanpur test with SA is a non-starter. Both sides messed up batting and still got ahead of 300s. I blame the batting sides from both sides more than the pitch. The pitches on the other hand were designed to restrict India to sub 200 scores. Not that Indian's didn't have the firepower to overcome as I mentioned above.

Batman wrote:And PP, I HAVE to agree with SG here. The Kanpur test with SA is a non-starter. Both sides messed up batting and still got ahead of 300s. I blame the batting sides from both sides more than the pitch. The pitches on the other hand were designed to restrict India to sub 200 scores. Not that Indian's didn't have the firepower to overcome as I mentioned above.

Batsmen are always at fault but that doesn't mean the pitch was any good for batting....

G Binoy named it as the worst moment of the year(i personally don't agree with him because as i said i like to see batsmen suffer)

Worst: The Kanpur pitch
Squaring a series by winning the final Test after being hammered by an innings and 90 runs would normally be reason to celebrate. But few victories have felt as hollow as the one India scored against South Africa in Kanpur to level the series 1-1. After they were thrashed in Ahmedabad, India instructed the curator in Kanpur to prepare a pitch that would turn sharply from day one. It was a diabolical surface, one that took the concept of home advantage to an extreme. Even a draw would have been a tremendous achievement for the South Africans. India were expected to win, and they did, by eight wickets. The goal was realised but the elation that victory usually brings was missing.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/review2008/content/current/story/384606.html

Unfortunately for Pakistan the tour has been shorten....

SL to only play 3 ODIs and 2 tests. :|

Knew it was bad news for PAK tour as soon as Tunga was fired...

but at least something is better than nothing.

Not sure what the best result for Pakistan would be out of the tour.

Pound Sri lanka, and other teams might not want to come for fear of being flogged.

Get beaten easily and teams might not want to come for fear of lack of meaningful matches.

Zat wrote:Not sure what the best result for Pakistan would be out of the tour.

Pound Sri lanka, and other teams might not want to come for fear of being flogged.

Get beaten easily and teams might not want to come for fear of lack of meaningful matches.

SL are a funny team in a sense that their overall record against Pakistan is not very impressive but IN Pakistan they have an outstanding record which includes 2 test series wins at least 2 ODI series win, a world cup win, an Asia cup win and a tri series win.

a world cup win

Bit of a stretch to call that entirely on Pakistan soil. Sure, that's where some matches were played, but there was a fairly hefty home ground advantage.

lanka only played the final in pak. the rest of their matches were in lanka and a semi in india

And don't forget two forfeits in the RR stage.