England in India Feb/March 2021

[nutsaboutamber]

Well what a day in Madras. What could possibly go wrong tomorrow?

[soulhalshall]

Great to have a Test on to follow. Glad to see Pope back in the side along with those who missed SL matches, though I'd probably have put Broad in in place of Bess, no point having ordinary spinners when you have quality experienced quicks available I reckon (presuming Broad was fit and available). I would also have preferred to have seen Moeen over Bess.

Very good day one, nice to see Sibley doing the ugly stuff just a shame he didn't go on to 100.

[dincey99]

Feb 5, 2021 12:49:09 GMT nutsaboutamber said:

Well what a day in Madras. What could possibly go wrong tomorrow?

Chennai 2016

England 477 & 207
India 759/7

Just saying........



Another CB9 postcode

[champair79]

Yes, Moeen should’ve played possibly instead of Lawrence. You could’ve put him at number 3 and benefitted from another spin option. Remember though he had COVID and didn’t play at all in SL so England will probably see how Bess and Leach play before deciding on the lineup for the 2nd test.

The pitch is offering absolutely nothing. I hope it starts to noticeably degrade soon otherwise both teams will score huge first inning totals and it’ll peter out into a draw.

I know in the past India have complained about the SG ball not being up to the same quality as it was previously. Yes, the pitch was very abrasive but that seam on the first ball really ripped up! I suppose we should be glad that it still has a prominent seam unlike the Kookabura. For me personally, I think the Duke’s ball is the best suited for test cricket and I wish the ICC would mandate it for all International Test series. The Kookabura seems a good choice for any white ball games. I know it’s all subjective and filled with politics and tied in with sponsorship deals but one can dream.

A great innings from Root and Sibley. Such a shame about the final over but with Ben Stokes, Pope and Buttler to come, we could really see many more runs put on the board and at a decent run rate.

Finally, a big thumbs up for Channel 4. Yes, the coverage isn’t as polished as a home series would be (as they’re using the overseas broadcaster pictures) but it’s great to have it on terrestrial TV. It’s a shame TMS don’t have the rights for the radio.

[danielcufc]

Another great knock from Root and 550 + on board. Tomorrow is key day to see if our bowlers can get anything out of the pitch.

[imp566]

Thought he might have declared when Buttler was out and had 30-45 minutes bowling at a tired Indian opening pair? Other than that, its been almost a perfect 2 days.

[nutsaboutamber]

Is the pitch going to break up?
What a ground and location by the way, love to see a series over there. Maybe the next time. Anybody been?

[champair79]

Feb 6, 2021 13:30:05 GMT imp566 said:

Thought he might have declared when Buttler was out and had 30-45 minutes bowling at a tired Indian opening pair? Other than that, its been almost a perfect 2 days.

We’ve done that before and lost the game. I think any runs on the board are incredibly valuable while the pitch is good. Indian pitches tend to degrade very quickly. Whether this one will who knows. It’s not a totally typical Indian wicket. I wonder if the Indian bowlers will take the third new ball first thing tomorrow with the fast bowlers being fresh. Ashwin is also very adept at bowling spin with a new ball. They might prefer to wait and restrict runs and rely on reverse swing but the ball is very old now.

Obviously the England team will have one eye on the World Test Championship but realistically they’ve probably written off their chances of winning the series by the requisite amount in order to qualify for the final. It’s much better to play low-risk cricket and either win or draw the game rather than go out chasing a long shot and lose the game thereby putting pressure on the team for the following matches. The main focus is not being disgraced in India and building a solid foundation for the summer and ultimately the Ashes.

[nutsaboutamber]

Wow! 16 to go.

In other news, what a player that Gill looks, at this stage.

If Nick Knight tells us one more time he covered the recent series in Australia......

[shubs]

Saying this through gritted teeth as I am an India fan, but England have been class throughout. I honestly thought that India would win the series comfortably after the fantastic tour of Australia but Root clearly has other ideas! Getting out of jail with a draw is the best that India can hope for.

I have seen the ground in Chennai but never been to a game there. It’s a beautiful setting with the sea and beach close by. Saw a game many years ago at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, which was great.


Superb to see cricket back on terrestrial television.

[imp566]

Feb 7, 2021 13:41:41 GMT shubs said:

Saying this through gritted teeth as I am an India fan, but England have been class throughout. I honestly thought that India would win the series comfortably after the fantastic tour of Australia but Root clearly has other ideas! Getting out of jail with a draw is the best that India can hope for.

I have seen the ground in Chennai but never been to a game there. It’s a beautiful setting with the sea and beach close by. Saw a game many years ago at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, which was great.


Superb to see cricket back on terrestrial television.

Agree with all of that - especially terrestrial TV! For a change, I haven't moaned when my cats have had me up at 6.30 for their breakfast!

[nutsaboutamber]

I thought Root(and Silverwood?) had lost this innate streak of cautiousness but not so. We will see but Pujara, Kohli and Rahane are not going to go lightly are they over the course of 90 overs?

I'm thinking, Shubs, that Rohit Sharma can do one as far as test cricket is concerned.

[Tom Shaw's Fist of Rage]

Feb 8, 2021 13:36:34 GMT nutsaboutamber said:

I thought Root(and Silverwood?) had lost this innate streak of cautiousness but not so. We will see but Pujara, Kohli and Rahane are not going to go lightly are they over the course of 90 overs?

I'm thinking, Shubs, that Rohit Sharma can do one as far as test cricket is concerned.

It seemed silly at the time with us starting aggressively and slowing up but it's clear they wanted to give all 4 bowlers 2 goes with the new ball which is a reasonable strategy, especially in hot conditions. The moaning of the commentators was tiresome. Cook while not the most exciting pundit stands out by not being so over the top about everything, giving his own view while explaining the likely reasoning for other decisions.

[shubs]

Feb 8, 2021 13:36:34 GMT nutsaboutamber said:

I thought Root(and Silverwood?) had lost this innate streak of cautiousness but not so. We will see but Pujara, Kohli and Rahane are not going to go lightly are they over the course of 90 overs?

I'm thinking, Shubs, that Rohit Sharma can do one as far as test cricket is concerned.

Yeah, England have got to be big favourites here, especially with the pitch breaking up and taking turn. Gonna be a very tough day for India. That said, they did very well in Oz in the last 2 tests batting last. Good point about Rohit-he has always been great in 50 over games but not sure about tests. Shikhar Dhawan is similar-brilliant when it comes off for him but often chucks away his wicket.

I know it has been done to death, but should England have declared earlier?

[soulhalshall]

I would have liked a bit more of the evening session to have a bowl but not too many fewer runs on the board. Kept hoping Buttler or Archer would go into T20 mode but not to be. An interesting day tomorrow, I'd be worried about Kohli and Pant suddenly taking the game away from us. I know it's a bit total for a chase but I think teams fancy themselves more chasing a decent fourth innings total.