As a test match batsman I prefer root to kohli
England in India 2021
- Thread starter TheGame
- Start date
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Yes, very serious. Hence me saying Root & Stokes and no one else. Our openers have proved nothing really. Pant over Buttler on recent Test form isn't close.
Ok, all about opinions isn't it.
Crawley got a 250 three games ago.
Buttler got a big hundred in that same game and won us a match with a brilliant knock in that same series. His recent test form is precisely what makes it close.
Forget Pant, I'd take Foakes over Buttler for tests all day. But because that top 6 is so horrendous, they need Buttler's marginally better batting over Foakes wildly superior keeping.
Root, Stokes, Jofra, Broad and Anderson. But the other 6 of a combined XI come from India, and comfortably so.
Fair enough. I'd have Gill & Pujara with Root & Kohli to follow.
Me neither.
Perhaps they've had a disagreement in private and Root has chosen to take some sort of revenge by airing this in public. If so, it's not on.
All players should receive the same treatment and the same terminology.
I think it depends where you are playing obvs. In India you would take more Indian players & vice versa. Now if we were playing in neutral conditions like the UAE for example then that line up would be more interesting & favour India more imo.
For me, when everyone is fit, the combined XI would be
Rohit
Crawley
Pujara
Kohli
Root
Stokes
Buttler/Pant
Ashwin
Archer
Bumrah
Anderson/Jadeja depending on conditions.
Feel free to agree or disagree.
Yes this is what I will also go with. I have not seen enough of Crawley to put him so might go with Gill but it's matter of opinion so the line up would be almost similar.
Absolutely sir, that it is
I'm not convinced Archer gets in.
The only change I'd make is to rotate Jofra, Broad and Anderson for another Indian spinner generally.
Broad and Jofra aren't better than Bumrah, unless you're planning to play with four pacers.
I see Crawley as more of a 3 than an opener at Test level currently in which case Pujara is significantly better. So Gill, Crawley or Pujara for two positions. If you want a game changing keeper at 7 than Pant all day long over Buttler, again at Test level only. Edit - Bowlers I'd have Anderson over Archer definitely.
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Anderson is lot better than Archer. He gets in irrespective of the conditions imo.
I think bumrah is magic, he is an anomaly, just love watching him bowl
Just for fun I would love to see Bumrah/Archer bowl in tandem in a proper seaming condition. But yes I would have Anderson just because he is class.
It really does matter where you’re playing.
Bowlers is more obvious to me - Ashwin, Bumrah Anderson & one of Broad/Archer/Jadeja dependent on conditions.
Archer's pace is too variable for my liking. Anderson & Bumrah are the shoe in's imo.
Does it for most of a squad?
Rohit
xx
Pujara
Root
Kohli
Stokes
xx
Ashwin
xx
Anderson
Bumrah
Pretty strong consensus, only 1 slot really depends on where you are, maybe keeper too as I'd want the better keeper when I'm rocking two spinners, but I'd always vouch for the better keeper anyway.
Rohit has never hit a century outside of India. If he's a shoe in in all conditions it really speaks to the weakness of the other options.
For what it's worth, I think Gill has it in him to be the best of the 4 or 5 options both teams have, in not too many years I think he'll have the numbers too.
For what it's worth, I think Gill has it in him to be the best of the 4 or 5 options both teams have, in not too many years I think he'll have the numbers too.
I like the look of Gill.
Yeah I mean 30 years ago when I first started playing having a great wicket keeper was important but over the years it’s become more important to keep well but bat well also. The days of Godfrey Evans and Alan Knott and Paul Downton are well behind us now.
I have to say foakes was superb behind the stumps.
with regards to where you’re playing, I would never ever have more than one spinner in my starting X1 in England. You are wasting a spot playing with two spinners in England. So the pitch matters mostly in terms of bowlers but also some batsmen just struggle on certain types of wickets. Rohit is ok. If he hadn’t scored any runs last test would he still be in there immediately? It’s a discussion for sure it isn’t straight forward I don’t think.
I’m not a stat guru but didn’t Crawley and Sibley have better test starts than gill? (I actually don’t know the numbers)
Wow I didn’t know that but it adds weight to the argument for sure. Why TF would you have a guy who has never hit a test century abroad, above anybody
Agree with this completely
Yes because Crawley has a lot of centuries away from home too. Great stuff. Sibley and Burns have one centuries away from home too.
Buttler has done feck all in test to have him above Pant. How the feck is it even 50-50
Yeah rohit has just started his career you’re right, so I guess that means they’re better than rohitYes because Crawley has a lot of centuries away from home too. Great stuff. Sibley and Burns have one centuries away from home too.
Buttler has done feck all in test to have him above Pant. How the feck is it even 50-50
Started opening a year or so ago. His competitiors are hardly great too.
Buttler has zero centuries away from home too. Pant has two. By your logic "Why TF would you have a guy who has never hit a test century abroad, above anybody"?
And he’s how old? If you can’t see that we may as well quit this convo
What's age got to do with his quality?
Also and since you're not replying to that point how is Buttler-Pant 50-50?
Sorry poor use of words, how long has he been playing and in how many tests have they each played. I don’t know the numbers but assume rohit has played more tests than sibs and Crawley and therefore has had more chances to hit an away test century?
Pant is not better than butter, I’d have butler any day over him. That may change in 5 years but currently it isn’t even 50/50 for me (that was someone else’s take) I’m going full hog I’d take buttker ahead of him. For me it isn’t even 50/50
I have always kept wicket, at lower levels. Obviously, Foakes has been a revelation in this match and is a specialist keeper. However, I noticed Pant has been stretching when taking the bails off. This is a critical second lost when stumpings are going to be judged on millimetres. I am sure the coaches will have seen the issue and will get this addressed. Having short hands I personally think he needs to stand 6 inches closer to the stumps when keeping against the spinners.
Rohit Sharma.
| Venue | Inns | NO | 100s | 50s | 0s | HS | Runs | Avg | S/R | Ca | St |
Home | 24 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 212 | 1530 | 80.53 | 68.24 | 11 | 0 |
Away | 37 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 79 | 945 | 27.00 | 47.95 | 22 | 0 |
Overall | 61 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 212 | 2475 | 45.83 | 58.75 | 39 | 0 |
Averaging 27? Over to you KM
Good shout
The new pitch in Ahmedabad and no-one is wiser how it will play out. I think Moeen would have been dropped for the next Test, anyway so going back home than sit in a hotel for a number of weeks is correct. He'll be back for the one-day games when he returns to India, which I think he is better suited.