It is Mission Impossible for the Aussies

Key is India are a juggernaut at home and the only team that could challenge them is Pakistan

As for the Aussies, the SL humiliation is the precursor with them getting whitewashed despite Mitchell Starc having one of the best series ever by a bowler. The aside was the lack of support in the rest of the bowling with Hazelwood being ineffectual and the spinners resembling waterproof teabags. This takes away Australia’s greatest strenth in respect to its bowling putting a greater emphasis on the batting to step up.

India’s batting is ten times better than that SL line up as well as having a more complete bowling line up with the presence of an elite fast bowler in Shami. Umesh Yadav is also more than useful. This means the Indian quicks will always pose a threat and add to the lethal aspect of the apinners with the pressure they exert. A trio of tweekers made all the more formidable by the fact that no one in the Aussie line up inspires faith against spin. Steven Smith has a reputation as a fine player against spin but Rangana Herath made him look like a rank amateur and Jadeja is just as able to do similar.

The other factor is the ‘Lehmann effect’, who always talks the big talk about issues and addressing them but never does. He stated during the Pakistan shambles about the batsmen getting done by ‘straight ones’ and two years later made the same comments against Sl. Curiously no one asked him why hasn’t anything been done to address this????????

I enjoy banter but it seems you take offence to a persons right to an opinion and feel the need to call people out. Many share the same view I have of Kohli on here but it seems your sole focus is on me. Maybe it is because I am prominent on all the India/England threads. I think I am also a tad sensitive of Indian fanbois antics after having a prominent role on SportsKeeda when Porush Jain created it. I am still copping abuse for some of the views i had on there 🙂

And I respect you as a fine student of the game

Classy move with the best interests opf the team at hear.

Faf showed here how accomplished he is as a leader highlighted by his tactics and how tight the team were under his leadership

All dues to India with England for the most not at the races. They were let down badly by their batting with the standout a substandard performance in the Mohali test on what was a very batting friendly pitch

As for Kohli, while most expected him to be great at home he has been superlative. The comments by James Anderson about him might have many in agreeance but were both ungracious and disrespectful to what has been a masterful performance. It also brought a focus to Anderson who has often been viewed as ‘Tarzan at home but Jane away from home’

The stand out for I is Murali Vijay, a batsman on talent who is comparable to any in the test arena. It was interesting listening to some of the comments during the series from both sets of commentators about how occasionally he lacks the mindset. If he had that he would be a 50 average/30 century type bat for his game which is proficient on back or front foot translates to anywhere in the globe against any attack

If you take away his record against the Windies, his away record read likes this

Batting average 24.9 with no centuries

Bowling average 36.66 with 50 wickets

Very Mitch Marsh like 🙂

Main focus in asking this on Ashton Agar, if he can get in form

Jason/Glenn

With Australia’s formidable fast bowling strength ( factoring a fit Cummins/Pattinson ) is there best tactic long term ( focussing starting in next years Ashes ) to look to a spinner in an all rounders role at 6 ( or alternatively the keeper )?

With this, it would allow the team to play all 4 quicks?

I think they fell into the trap that Kapil was an anomaly in respect to being a great fast bowler in an era in Indian cricket where everything was about spin. Hence they always batted him lower.

He was exceptional as a batsman to me, and as a 5/6 would have been very very good

As for Stokes, his current averages is more a pointer to his stage in the game.

You laud Ashwin, but fail to mention that at 25 he had only just got into the Indian team, Stokes at the same age has played 31 tests. If you compare Stokes accomplishments to Ashwin when he is 30, I think he will be a 40/30 type allrounder, plus the other factor about Stokes is he is one of the best fielders in the game

Ashwin is at the top at present, but has reached his peak whereas Stokes has huge upside

Tim has a few Indian pet peeves as we know and Ashwin is one of them (the other being Kohli)

the fact i talk so highly about Kapil Dev shows this Anindya……….

I think you obviously have some major bias that blinds you from reality

A word of advice, it is not wise to call people out as you do on these type of sites as you have done with a few. For if, and when the players you so laud do struggle they will remember you being cheeky.

And when they comeback at you, lets hope you do not take it the wrong way for it will make you look a bit childish

Fair call Bush, but on sheer batting talent, to me, Kapil was the best. One only had to watch him bat against the great Windies

He also struggled with never getting to play as a ‘batsman’ for he was rarely batted in the top 6, he would have been the perfect number 5.

I think the NZ series was more a pointer how difficult it is the bat in Kiwi land in the lead up to Xmas. It is very similar to how grim it is being a batsman in the early parts of the county season in England where the weather has a profound effect on the conditions.

Looking to the series it will all depend on how they bat. They have the potential as they showed in England to be very competitive. And if they do bat well it exposes Australia’s very fragile batting, one that will be further exposed if the pitches/conditions give anything to the bowlers. They would be very suspect if the ball spins/swing on top of Pakistan having runs on the board and the pressure it represents on batsmen minds with the fields it allows

In this situation, I could see Yasir running absolute amok

Aussies are favs, but an upset would not surprise

In a sense it is very like the recent series in SL where it only relied on a few Lankans to stand up to expose Australia’s gaping frailties

I think you are vastly underrating Stokes, I think when all is said and done he will be viewed as one of the all time greats.

It is wrong to assume but it seems apparent that you attach a great deal to figures. They have merit but there is a greater truth in looking within the figures.

Going back to the 80’s, if you asked who I would rate as the best batsman of the great all rounders- without hesitation, Kapil Dev, despite his figures lacking in a batting sense in regards to others. His talent with bat was outrageous and if not for circumstance and his mindset ( entertainer) he would have been a great number 5, averaging 45 with 20 centuries

Best all rounder I saw aside for Sobers, Procter by a mile

You forgot 5:

Herschelle Gibbs in regards to spilling it on the big stage- think of Fyfe in the 13 Gf 😉

Couldn’t resist it Don, breaking the cricket kindred spirit we have going

Your thoughts on Wiaan Mulder, Dav?

The one thing the India versus England series highlights is the need for India/Pakistan test series

For with SL still in rebuilding phase, Pakistan is the one team that could challenge India at home.

With it offering must see viewing for impartial fans

The truth is that Ashwin has very little competition for the title of the best all-rounder in the modern game.

Ben Stokes, 5 years younger and proven in all confines

Ashwin still needs to prove he can perform away from home. And it is heartbreaking to say this for remember and are still in awe of the great Windies going back to WWW, but beating up on a shambolic Windies line up is not proof of anything

I also think Ashwin benefits greatly from Jadeja’s presence, away from home he will not have this

I was schooled in RSA in the 60’s and the Bokkies I keep in touch with have DeKock on the same footing as Denis Lindsay. I think he is a fabulous player with style and real technique. His standout is he has such game awareness, a quality very lacking in batsmen in this age

He is still very young too

Umar is more sent to Coventry after he got told in very clear terms by Mudasser Nazar when he was at the Pakistan Cricket Academy to pull his head in. He didnt, and with Misbah’s reign being symbolised by players of character it is why he is benched

The other one who is a very fine player but also in the bad boys corner is Ahmed Shahzad

Who bats better will decide it for both teams have exceptional bowling line ups but dodgy batting line ups. It will be interesting to see how the Aussie bats deal with Yasir’s spin if he is supported by scoreboard pressure

The one Pakistani who I think will do very well with the bat is Babar. His innings in NZ was very good and he should do well in OZ. Also Asad Shafiq is very decent

The Aussies should win the series but it would not shock if Pakistan was very competitive to the point of pulling off an upset

QDK is like crickets version of Bontempelli

Such style combined with real substance

I have discounted the RSA greats because the focus tends to be on age.

The one who i will be intrigued by to see how he goes against RSA in the upcoming series is Kusal Mendis. All were so impressed by his all round batsmanship against England this year and he announced himself with one of the best centuries seen against the Aussies. I think he can truly be top drawer

For i, Root stands alone, and Williamson is in the conversation. As for Kohli, he has improved but I still think he would be very suspect against the moving ball in RSA/England. As for Smith, I do not see him in the conversation

As an aside, with the skill/temperament DeKock batted with, one could even raise his name if he keeps it up

I only follow test cricket and until recently would have said Williamson but he has disappointed in a few away forays. I still think he is exceptional in his technique/temperament, very old school

I think Root is the one I would pick.

The stand out is he is still a virtual babe at 25 and is still improving. He is the quintessential number three that can dominate the game or play an old style innings. If he plays long enough he might break all the test records.

I think he will cement his greatness by dominating the Ashes next year.

Well done by India, fully pulling England’s pants down in a brutal display

To have the opposition score 400, then be in trouble and still find a way to get a 230 run lead was outrageously good

Also humbling and back breaking for the Poms, with them not being able to come back from it. They tried to fight but the Indian spinners were way too good for them in the conditions

test over in time for me to watch Doctor Who repeats 🙂

All will depend on how Pakistan bats

If they bat as they did in England then they have the bowling attack to challenge and even beat Australia

The fact you need to give the Olympics excuse seems to be admission of your absence as well

As for I, I am on anytime there is a test on. You will never see me for ODI’s/T20’s for I have zero interest in them