India v England, 2nd Test, Mumbai, 23-27 November, 2012

Yuvraj "Ryan Hinds" Singh? How bad is this guy playing spin. If he bowled at himself, he'd get himself out every time.

I've got to say how much Ian Bell has been missed in this Test.

He's been missed a lot.

By India.

Wouldn't it be great if that Ahmedabad Test was Bell's last ever Test?

Wouldn't it be even greater if this Mumbai Test was Broad's last ever Test?

God, I despise these guys. They've never, ever made it as Test players.

TIME. TO. GO.

Chivalry Augustus wrote:I've got to say how much Ian Bell has been missed in this Test.

He's been missed a lot.

By India.

Don't you f*cking worry, man, please do not worry... I think you'll find that Samit Patel and Jonny Bairstow have filled in amply for him. Filled in like a knicker-shitting mofo.

Chivalry Augustus wrote:I've got to say how much Ian Bell has been missed in this Test.

He's been missed a lot.

By India.

The qunt, can't even plan his shags not to avoid a tour.

Brass Monkey wrote:

Chivalry Augustus wrote:I've got to say how much Ian Bell has been missed in this Test.

He's been missed a lot.

By India.

Don't you f*cking worry, man, please do not worry... I think you'll find that Samit Patel and Jonny Bairstow have filled in amply for him. Filled in like a knicker-shitting mofo.

I don't think either of them did a lot wrong. Bairstow never got in but played to his limitations. Was unlucky with his dismissal. Patel was our third highest scorer and got a good ball but played a part in an important partnership.

Not saying either player is anywhere near deserving of a Test place but that doesn't mean Bell is, either. Realistically Bairstow will never be a good player of spin, Patel is unlikely to make the grade in a team outside of these conditions. But that doesn't make Bell any good, either.

And let's face it, somebody like Trott isn't massively out-shining Bairstow and Patel. He's been sh*t for about two years.

Compton on the other hand has done a great job despite modest figures. He has been excellent, in fact, in an under-stated way.

Chivalry Augustus wrote:I've got to say how much Ian Bell has been missed in this Test.

He's been missed a lot.

By India.

Trott has filled in for him though.

Goodness, George Dobell has slotted in nicely as Andrew Miller's gushing, patriotic replacement at Cricinfo, hasn't he. I can hear 'Jerusalem' playing in the background every time he writes. What he says is true enough, though.

"There may have been more reliable batsmen, there may have been more responsible batsmen and there may have been more consistent batsmen. But there have been very few batsmen to have been so destructive, so often, as Kevin Pietersen.

Certainly it is hard to think of another England batsman of recent vintage who could have played the innings Pietersen played. On a pitch offering substantial assistance to the spinners and on which other batsmen have struggled for fluency, Pietersen created the illusion that he was operating on a batting paradise. Only when others, some of whom are considered experts in such conditions, prodded and struggled were the true nature of the conditions exposed.

This was an innings that many thought could never be played. When Pietersen was dropped from the England team in August, bridges were smouldering and, so deep were the divisions between him and his colleagues, that it looked for a while that there could be no return. It is surely for the best that a rapprochement was achieved. At a time when Test cricket is fighting for relevance and room, talents like Pietersen are to be savoured by anyone from any nation. His return is an asset not just to England, but to the game. Players like this do not come around very often."

Chivalry Augustus wrote:

Brass Monkey wrote:

Chivalry Augustus wrote:I've got to say how much Ian Bell has been missed in this Test.

He's been missed a lot.

By India.

Don't you f*cking worry, man, please do not worry... I think you'll find that Samit Patel and Jonny Bairstow have filled in amply for him. Filled in like a knicker-shitting mofo.

I don't think either of them did a lot wrong. Bairstow never got in but played to his limitations. Was unlucky with his dismissal. Patel was our third highest scorer and got a good ball but played a part in an important partnership.

Not saying either player is anywhere near deserving of a Test place but that doesn't mean Bell is, either. Realistically Bairstow will never be a good player of spin, Patel is unlikely to make the grade in a team outside of these conditions. But that doesn't make Bell any good, either.

And let's face it, somebody like Trott isn't massively out-shining Bairstow and Patel. He's been sh*t for about two years.

Compton on the other hand has done a great job despite modest figures. He has been excellent, in fact, in an under-stated way.

Except he needs to hit the ball off the square a bit more like his grandad did. At present he's in the running for the Chris Tavare Art of Batsmanship Award.

Chivalry Augustus wrote:
I don't think either of them did a lot wrong. Bairstow never got in but played to his limitations. Was unlucky with his dismissal. Patel was our third highest scorer and got a good ball but played a part in an important partnership.

Not saying either player is anywhere near deserving of a Test place but that doesn't mean Bell is, either. Realistically Bairstow will never be a good player of spin, Patel is unlikely to make the grade in a team outside of these conditions. But that doesn't make Bell any good, either.

And let's face it, somebody like Trott isn't massively out-shining Bairstow and Patel. He's been sh*t for about two years.

Compton on the other hand has done a great job despite modest figures. He has been excellent, in fact, in an under-stated way.

Yeah, I agree in the sense that there's basically question marks over five of the batsmen: Bell, Bairstow, Patel, Morgan and Trott. Trott probably less so, he's got plenty of tough runs to bank on. The same can't really be said for the others. Bell continues his 'style' of getting runs. Patel has a bit of a problem against fast bowling and let's face it, he's got a nice position to come in and hasn't got a run. Bairstow - no. His shot selection was abysmal. What sort of stroke he was trying when he 'unluckily' got out, I really don't know. Morgan was all over the shop last time he played - but to me, he seems to have more about him than the two playing in this game.

As for Compton - yeah, I'm pretty impressed with him. As you say, he's had modest returns so far, but I like his game. It's tight and compact. He's a proper technician. Plays inside the line nicely and isn't bad at picking the length quickly. It mustn't be forgotten that out of all the batsmen, the conditions and the style of bowling will be the most foreign to him. I'd much prefer to see him walk out to bat against the likes of NZ or Aus, sides he's more likely to do better against.

Henry wrote:Goodness, George Dobell has slotted in nicely as Andrew Miller's gushing, patriotic replacement at Cricinfo, hasn't he. I can hear 'Jerusalem' playing in the background every time he writes. What he says is true enough, though.

"There may have been more reliable batsmen, there may have been more responsible batsmen and there may have been more consistent batsmen. But there have been very few batsmen to have been so destructive, so often, as Kevin Pietersen.

Certainly it is hard to think of another England batsman of recent vintage who could have played the innings Pietersen played. On a pitch offering substantial assistance to the spinners and on which other batsmen have struggled for fluency, Pietersen created the illusion that he was operating on a batting paradise. Only when others, some of whom are considered experts in such conditions, prodded and struggled were the true nature of the conditions exposed.

This was an innings that many thought could never be played. When Pietersen was dropped from the England team in August, bridges were smouldering and, so deep were the divisions between him and his colleagues, that it looked for a while that there could be no return. It is surely for the best that a rapprochement was achieved. At a time when Test cricket is fighting for relevance and room, talents like Pietersen are to be savoured by anyone from any nation. His return is an asset not just to England, but to the game. Players like this do not come around very often."

Whatta sherb.

I do agree with the bit I've bolded though. He is an asset to Test cricket, plain and simple. He makes people interested in the format. He's someone that you talk about, or even whine about imprudently in a nasally Melbourne accent.

I mentioned this before that Rahane should be opening the batting, and Sehwag now 34 years old and fading fast should be playing at number 6 instead of Yuvraj. When will our retarded selectors see the light?

Gambhir has surprised me. He's had his fair share of luck but he's put a high price on his wicket. Dhoni's spot must surely be under question? When was the last time he did something good in test cricket?

Batman wrote:I mentioned this before that Rahane should be opening the batting, and Sehwag now 34 years old and fading fast should be playing at number 6 instead of Yuvraj. When will our retarded selectors see the light?

I doubt Sehwag would ever move. But Rahane needs to be playing. He's class. Tiwary can feel a bit miffed as well, he deserves a chance.

Henry wrote:Gambhir has surprised me.

Hasn't really surprised me. He's clearly one of the better players of spin bowling in world cricket. Which is why I thought England may have missed a trick with him by maintaining the spin duo - even for a couple of overs at him. Not that it doesn't look like the correct decision has been made, at 117/7. I just mean for a couple of overs, towards the end.

Swann had a great battle with him though, nearly got him half a dozen times.

Yeah he's always been a good player of spin, but he has a tendency to sulk off like a little girl when the going gets tough. That's what's surprised me- he hasn't.

Did nobody else think Ohja was ... you know ... then?

If anybody's watching the highlights later on, keep your eye out.

D.O.D.G.Y. ... ?

I guess if you're an Asian in Asia, it doesn't matter either way.

Henry wrote:Yeah he's always been a good player of spin, but he has a tendency to sulk off like a little girl when the going gets tough. That's what's surprised me- he hasn't.

Oh yeah, he's pretty much the girliest cricketer I've ever seen play Tests. Seriously, what a little bitch he is. So many instances of ponciness.

Chivalry Augustus wrote:Did nobody else think Ohja was ... you know ... then?

If anybody's watching the highlights later on, keep your eye out.

D.O.D.G.Y. ... ?

I guess if you're an Asian in Asia, it doesn't matter either way.

There might be a slight kink there, but compared to Ajmal he's Bishan Bedi. Pretty much any spinner these days could use the 'Ajmal defence'. Wouldn't surprise me to see a whole new generation of blatant chuckers emerging in the next couple of years.

Chivalry Augustus wrote:Did nobody else think Ohja was ... you know ... then?

If anybody's watching the highlights later on, keep your eye out.

D.O.D.G.Y. ... ?

I guess if you're an Asian in Asia, it doesn't matter either way.

Hmmm, didn't notice, no. Which maybe suggests that I don't think so - I noticed Eranga chucking today, for instance. But then, when Ojha was bowling, I was almost as fascinated with his dough-faced pudginess as anything. I noticed that he lost his action a bit, it got a little ragged, when he was tired.

In terms of the batting, agree Compton has made a decent impression but he needs a significant score sooner rather than later. He doesn't look out of his depth and has not been getting himself out stupidly like many of the others, which is a positive sign but if he ends the series averaging 20-something you sense the selectors will give someone else a go.

Trott has to be a concern, is he just another of those players who has a remarkable couple of years and then slips back to mediocrity, time will tell but these sort of situations should be made for him, or at least the player we saw at the start of his Test career. He's under no real threat as there's not too many of the batting places nailed down at the moment. As for Bell, we all know he will be back... his name's on the teamsheet for the next 5 years, it's pointless hoping otherwise!

Trott's been poor, but he hasn't been abysmal. At least not until this series. Difference is he didn't cash in against WI or India at home last year.

Trott has to be a bit of a worry. He has got worse over the past two years and averages 35 in that time-frame. It's not crazy bad but it's deteriorating series-by-series. Averages under 30 on the sub-continent, too. His game has become ever more polluted by his idiosyncrasies. He might be the prime contender to be dropped for Bell next Test ...

Root at 3 then, and shuffle the rest of the pack? ... ...

What rivetting viewing it was last night (Aus time) watching Mon-teh tie the Bannies in knots. Remarkable that he made the pitch look unplayable after the Bannie spinners (bar Ouija) looked bog ordinary (due mostly to the brilliance of KP).