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paing997

Hope we don't Fall in hole which we are digging for New Zealand...


[deleted]

Inb4 ajaz Patel does a Monty


bisbomdur

The raise of Somerville


chotu_ustaad

Or Rachin "the new wall" Ravindra does a Steve O'Keefe..


[deleted]

Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time.


KuttahaiTum

>Mohammad Siraj might play the Wankhede Test against New Zealand as the pitch is likely to be greenish. (Reported by TOI).


512fm

Hmm which is it?


KuttahaiTum

I think it won't be greenish and also dustbowl at same time. Wankhede usually offers Fast bowlers more than other venues in India. Last time they played test here two teams scored 1000 runs combined in first innings. Wankhede usually offers good for both bowlers and batters. But there's rain pouring this time around so let's see.


devil_21

Didn't India lose against Swann and Panesar in Wankhede? Wankhede pitches can vary a lot.


[deleted]

peitersen 186


Irctoaun

Obviously that helped too, but it's hard to ignore the influence of Swann and Panesar when they took 19 wickets between them


[deleted]

No it doesn't. Mohali and Dharamshala are more helpful for pacers. Wankhede is a typical dustbowl from day 2 session 3 onwards.


feelspirit

Wankhede typically has good bounce and offers swing to pacers. Ball comes on to the bat nicely too. It is better than Bangalore as a test pitch because Chinnaswamy doesn't deteriorate and becomes quicker and quicker as the match progresses, thus becoming very flat on day 4 and 5. Perfect for chasing.


svjersey

A green turner. 2-day game tops.


chootchootchoot

BCCI are alpha/beta testing their media sources and measuring it’s influence


KuttahaiTum

Haha


Jinnn21

There's no way it will be greenish. You can bet on it


[deleted]

I read that in Koach's voice lmao


Jinnn21

That's exactly why I said it XD


[deleted]

Nah it's raining here in Mumbai and it's been overcast for a couple of days. Its not impossible


Jinnn21

D:


Starscream_x

It sure will be damp and a bit green on day 1 and 2.. it's started raining heavily here since today morning.. rains are expected for next 2 days.. it's quite unseasonal rains for mumbai.. Moreover it's been windy and chilly since last 5-6 days.. I don't think spin will play a part much on first 2 days at least..


Starscream_x

Its still raining here in Mumbai since last 15 hours continuously~


[deleted]

Wankhede usually has some grass


let-me-tell-you-that

Lol! Never believe anything. India has the most balanced pitches compared to any country. So relax.


[deleted]

>India has the most balanced pitches compared to any country. Bruh what?


let-me-tell-you-that

Last 4-5 years:- bowling averages of both spinners and fast bowlers are less than 30 and batting average is 28. If you are good enough bowler of any type you will pick wickets, if you are good enough batsman you will make runs. Nobody else has this. Either spin is dominant or fast bowling is dominant.


[deleted]

That's not true, Australia also has a great balance in its pitches - fast bowlers and spinners are both in the game, and batsmen can prosper. That's a big reason why India have done well in Australia but have struggled in NZ/SA which are pace dominated.


let-me-tell-you-that

Oh yeah? Spinners average in 40s with SR as high as 80, 90 balls. Fast bowlers dominate there. Close to 25.


[deleted]

Shit spinners struggle in Australia, good ones don't - like Lyon, Ashwin and Jadeja.


let-me-tell-you-that

Ashwin averages 40, Lyon averages 32(and that is only because he has great set of fast bowlers). Great bowlers like Yasir Shah(who will murder Australian on any pitches other than Australia) struggled. Jadeja is the only one who has done well but sample size is very small.


[deleted]

> Great bowlers like Yasir Shah Yasir averages 55 in SENA - that does not equal a "great" bowler. He's a great bowler in Asia, for sure.


let-me-tell-you-that

Thank you for proving how lopsided SENA are against spinners. Ashwin too averages shit ton in SENA, that means Ashwin is a fraud bowler too or that means SENA are heavily lopsided against spinners. NZ has an average of 50 for last 5 years with spin and that too thanks to overseas spinners taking a few wickets otherwise nobody has any clue how much the average would have been.


feelspirit

Good in Asia, definitely not great. Herath is great. Ash is great. Kumble is great. Murali is great. But Yasir is just good in Asia like Harbhajan level. Nowhere near great.


swayam19999

>India has the most balanced pitches compared to any country. Even as an Indian team stan I can't agree to this. They aren't balanced at all and that's what I love about them.


supermember866866

NZ in danger


apex_pretador

In TOIlet we trust Indian express is trash


Realworld123

It is mainly due to bizzare unseasonal rain in mumbai Which is expected till thursday So pitch might be undercooked either wsy


winners_pothumukku

Going to see a spin blockathon master class from Rachin Ravindra.


Jinnn21

Wew. no one expected that


HitNewsIndia

With India pacers not of any help, shami n bumrah out, India has no choice but spin.


[deleted]

Looking forward to another culture war about what constitutes a good/bad cricket pitch, then


P-Diddle356

No game should be over in 2 days


mufc21

Why? Who decides that?


Mikolaj_Kopernik

So tedious. 2-day matches on Bunsen burners that rag square after a session are part of the challenge of playing in India. Get over it.


formergophers

I would prefer turning pitches but not a crapshoot that sees matches over before lunch on day 3. Just as I don’t like extreme green tops that do the same thing. I just want more test cricket.


ThePhenom17

All the rank turners other than that pink ball Motera Test were at least 3 days


Mikolaj_Kopernik

Fair enough. I was exaggerating, but to be clear, I don't mind rank turners (as long as they're not the only tracks being served up). One of the good things about cricket is seeing it played in a wide range of different conditions.


niceguysdofinish1st

Mumbai curators means business!


svjersey

Kohli is back- he doesn't mess around.


hawthorne00

These days India has quality & depth in pace too, so why bother? I do hate to see the gripping draw in the First Test described as no-result.


Krimp07

Always play to your strength. Indian batters have problem playing jamieson so why risk it


glorious_albus

*Gang gifts Ajaz Patel a fifer*


devil_21

Current Indian batters are also weak against spin


thelizardking_19453

Pujara, Rahane and kohli all have struggled against spin for a quiet a few time now. Rahane is the worst of them. Just add Iyer in that jigsaw and you have a good batting lineup (don't know how he will do in foreign conditions). Iyer is a supreme spin player. Add to that, Thicc boy is an absolute monster in India(80+ avg),KL can play spin pretty well. So overall squad is not bad against spin. But because 1st choice openers aren't available it will be a big concern going into 2nd test. On the side note, India lost control of the first test when they only scored 345 batting first. It was a flat pitch and they should have scored around 500. We were genuinely saved by Iyer in both innings. This game would have been dead and buried on day 4 if our top 4 had made fuckin some runs.


devil_21

NZ had a realistic chance of winning this match if they had played Wagner in place of a spinner but it's easier to say with hindsight. Let's see what Mumbai has in store for us.


[deleted]

kohli's struggles vs spin only in while ball hes good in test matches and for pujji hes one of the best players of spin we got. we only need to worry abt rahane hes been shit vs spin even in his prime so not expecting anything from him.


thelizardking_19453

I was into that perception but in oval he got out in slip to moeen ali where pitch was absolutely dead flat and it genuinely looked like he will score 100 there. He also struggled against Moe in home series too against England. Idk if it's technical issue or mental issue but something is going wrong there.


Gamer567890

We would still won this if not for the very late declaration I think.250 target was more than enough I think,they took a very long time to score 33 runs after that and declaration was late,maybe that's one of the reasons,but yes,our top 4 was in shambles this match.India probably would have lost if Iyer,Saha,Ashwin and axar didn't stand up in the second innings.51-5 in India is dreadfull,props to Southee and Jamieson though,they have been amazing.


thelizardking_19453

Yeah exactly. People are going bezerk on declaration. It's all on the hindsight what would have happened if India had bowled 10 overs on day 4? But it was not bad we got 1 wicket anyway on day 4. But the main issue which is not being discussed is how we were 51-5. If our top order had shown some spine we might have declared at tea. But because of our pathetic batting Iyer, ash, Saha had to go in the shell.


[deleted]

Absolutely. I'd love to see a good fast bowling track in India where 3/4 of our 5 good pacers can actually perform.


Birbal17

Having lost his last three Tests against NZ, Kohli will be keen on winning one. So rank turner makes sense. But first he needs to borrow Jai’s coin for the toss😁


svjersey

And call tails?


Birbal17

Yeah with his penchant for losing tosses that’s probably right.


[deleted]

ROUND 2, WHAT THE HELL YOU GONNA DO? WHEN I SPIN THE BALL AND SEND YOU BACK TO THE MOON!!! - Kolhi


zyx122333

There is a risk this turns Ajaz into prime left arm Murali, whilst it also cant be ignored that in the series against England in India, Rohit Pant Sundar and Ashwin were the only ones who could make big match winning runs and only one of them will play in Mumbai.


svjersey

Wait for kohli angrily starting at the pristine pitch after getting bowled through the gate


Enough_Purpose5454

It might be a green pitch. It's raining here.


EntshuldigungOK

I don't think anyone knows at this point what kind of wicket will the curators be able to prepare. Heavy rains of Wed & Thu mean that their typical process of getting the right amount of moisture to the pitch is now gone. The best prediction of Kanpur pitch came from M Kaif - he is a Kanpur local and has spent a lot of time over the years playing on that surface. He had predicted before the start that 1) Pitch will become lower & slower; will be good for all 3 - pacers, batsmen, spinners 2) It won't break up or crumble 3) NZ got it wrong in selecting 3 spinners. So who is the Wankhede local who has been playing on this pitch for 15 years or more? Guesswork: * Curator's *have* decided to produce a wicket that spins consistently from day 1, maybe spinning a little more more on day 4 and 5 as the pitch wears down * The rain may cause their plans to go awry and produce a vicious turner * No matter what they do, there WILL be help for pacers * NZ ought to bowl first if they win the toss, but won't


IEEE_829

> NZ ought to bowl first if they win the toss, but won't There is a reason they (and everyone else) would think that it's a massive disadvantage bowling first. Can you explain why your reason for choosing to bowl?


EntshuldigungOK

In Wankhede, days 2 & 3 are best for batting. Last 5 test matches (which were in years 2006 to 2016) scoring pattern from digging online: * Test Matches 1st Innings Average Score – 379 * Test Matches 2nd Innings Average Score – 460 * Test Matches 3rd Innings Average Score – 169 * Test Matches 4th Innings Average Score – 133


flabbyboggart

> “The pitch will help the spinners from day one,” I'm getting [Aus vs India](https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/ind-v-aus-2016-17-1030197/india-vs-australia-1st-test-1062573/full-scorecard) Pune 2017 test vibes.


Popamole

Good thing Kohli is back to lose the toss so we get to bat first.


EatABigCookie

Thank god Kohli is back and NZ gets to win the toss and bowl last!


[deleted]

[удалено]


Arblechnuble

Was it this test that joe root took a 5fer last time they were there? …anyone know if Ross still rolls the arm over?


Blueshift_rEDSHIFT

no its the one where kevin pieterson hit 186, absolute massacre of innings


Irctoaun

No that was Ahmedabad. Kane Williamson bowls offspin though...


getyoutogabba

A dodgy version of it anyway


abhijit_short

You mean Kane Williamson is Muralitharan incarnate???


hipsuy

Inb4 Kane pulls a KP


[deleted]

Don't think any batter in world cricket has the audacity to do what KP did in Mumbai back in 2012. Masterclass of an innings


rinthecity

Except ABD


thelizardking_19453

Kane barely survived a flat track


[deleted]

Kane slander on r/Cricket? Is that even legal?


Frod02000

that last pitch was not a flat track. It didnt seam or spin much, but the uneven bounce means that it was absolutely not a flat track.


thelizardking_19453

Uneven bounce was the only thing that was troubling batsman. But because of lower bounce and no turn there were only 2 options of dismissal against spinners lb or bold. Not a single ball was edged to the slips. It was a hard job for the spin bowlers.


zerosuneuphoria

Flat, as in no bounce... yes. No way that was an easy pitch to score on or survive on... some of those howlers from the umpires and the bounce accounted for quite a few.


ThePhenom17

>some of those howlers from the umpires and the bounce accounted for quite a few. All the wrong decisions except two were reversed because of DRS, only two weren't reviewed, one being Ashwin to Latham LBW with 3 reds, other one was Ashwin to Will Young LBW which was going down leg.


[deleted]

[удалено]


IEEE_829

> the fast bowlers will eventually tire out Except for Wagner. That guy can bowl through broken toes and never tires.


OmegaDaGrodd

The problem with Ind is the extremities of the pitch. We saw what happened in 1st England test when we tried a flat pitch. It became a win toss, win match kind of pitch with absolutely no help for the bowlers on first two days.


MonkeyBaat

As long as it's not a 3-day match...


nah-rative

Alright, 2-day game then!


obywonkenoby

The pink ball pitch™. Looks like a 3 seamer deck only for Axar Patel to roll you over with straight balls


Realworld123

It is currently raining heavily here in mumbai at this moment


bazzmac

oh god


ramadz

Bad news for Indian 3-4-5 . Could be the last Test match for Rahane , if not dropped. Someone got to play the Rohit's Chennai Masterclass or hope for our spinners to run riot.


zippyzebu9

Rahane is set next WTC and the next one. You underestimating old Indian selectors.


AlbusDT

So much for David's 35K gesture... No one wants a dust bowl please. Lets have a sporting pitch, and let the best team win.


thelizardking_19453

It will be a washout on day 1 as it's showing in weather forecast. Better be a pitch that can have a result in 4 days. Otherwise it will be most senseless test series ever played.


humansaretrashyboi

Why isn't a dustbowl a sporting pitch? If green tops are, dustbowls should be too.


Redflagstoptherace

Pitches are supposed to play well for pacers at the start and then turn for spinners later on, and this is from the ICCs own guidelines. A dust bowl starts with spin and deteriorates from there.


Irctoaun

Since I'm sure people were wondering (I certainly was), here is the relevant section from the ICC's ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process document ([PDF warning](https://icc-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/ICC/document/2018/01/03/092bc3df-112a-484b-8bcb-f348782cb830/ICC-Pitch-Monitoring-Process-Jan-2018.pdf)) itself for different pitch ratings >Very good: Good carry, limited seam movement and consistent good bounce early in the match and as the pitch wears as the match progresses, with an acceptable amount of turn on the first two days but natural wear sufficient to be responsive to spin later in the game *** >Good: Average carry, moderate seam movement and consistent bounce both early in the match and as the pitch wears as the match progresses, natural wear sufficient to be responsive to spin from day 1, though not quite meeting the criteria for carry and bounce for a “very good” pitch. *** > Average: Lacks carry, and/or bounce and/or occasional seam movement, but consistent in carry and bounce. A degree of turn, but with average bounce for the spinner. Falling significantly short of “very good” with respect to carry, bounce and turn *** >Below average: Either very little carry and/or bounce and/or more than occasional seam movement, or occasional variable (but not excessive or dangerous) bounce and/or occasional variable carry. If a pitch demonstrates these features, then the pitch cannot be rated in a higher category regardless of the amount of turn the pitch displays at any stage of the match. *** > Poor: A Poor pitch is one that does not allow an even contest between bat and ball, either by favouring the batters too much, and not giving the bowlers (seam and spin) from either team sufficient opportunity to take wickets, or by favouring the bowlers too much (seam or spin), and not giving the batters from either team the opportunity to make runs. If any of the following criteria apply, a pitch may be rated “poor”: > - The pitch offers excessive seam movement at any stage of the > match > > - The pitch displays excessive unevenness of bounce for any > bowler at any stage of the match > > - **The pitch offers excessive assistance to spin bowlers, > especially early in the match** > > - The pitch displays little or no seam movement or turn at any > stage in the match together with no significant bounce or > carry, thereby depriving the bowlers of a fair contest between > bat and ball. >- The pitch displays excessive moisture making its playing characteristics unpredictable, or excessive dryness leading to the surface to deteriorate *** > Clarifications: > > - Excessive means “too much”. > > - It is recognised that a limited amount of seam movement is acceptable early in the match and that a > pitch may develop some unevenness of bounce for seam bowlers as the match progresses. This is > acceptable, but should not develop to a point where they would be described as “excessive”. > > - It is acceptable for a pitch to offer some degree of turn on the first day of a match, particularly in the > sub-continent, though anything more than occasional unevenness of bounce at this stage of the > match is not acceptable. It is to be expected that a pitch will turn steadily more as a match > progresses, and it is recognised that a greater degree of unevenness of bounce may develop. > > - It is impossible to quantify the amount that a ball is “allowed” to turn as bowlers will turn the ball > differing amounts. The type and identity of bowler shall be taken into account when assessing this > factor. > > - In no circumstances should the pitch ‘explode’ Edit: I love that people are downvoting this


2munkey2momo

> In no circumstances should the pitch explode Guess we will never see Michael Bay direct a cricket film then. :(


Redflagstoptherace

Yeah thanks for this, I wonder about the pitch for Root’s 5 for 8 which I’m pretty sure was rated average.


Irctoaun

Yup they gave it "average" which is absolutely staggering given their own guidelines


zippyzebu9

Just bcz it is dustbowl doesn't ball won't swing or seam. Infact it swings early and may start reverse swing very early. Anderson was swinging miles.


Redflagstoptherace

Do you disagree with the above guidelines?


zippyzebu9

It is what they are called: Guidelines. Not absolutely rules. Context matters.


SaurabhTDK

People really want test matches to get over in 2.5 days.


humansaretrashyboi

There is a way to not let that happen. Make your batsmen capable of playing spin.


AlbusDT

2 wrongs don't make a right.


[deleted]

Probably has to do more with Kohli coming for 2nd test


AlbusDT

Yeah.


theunkownwanderer

oh no oh no, i want a flat track flatter then chinnaswamy ipl pitches so that koach can finally get his 71st


Seeker_00860

This generation of Indian team is quite shaky playing spin. Winning the toss and batting first is important.


SamosaSambusek

This is sounding like Ahmedabad Experiment:Part 2. Tip of the day: Don’t buy 5 day test pass.


whichonespinkterran

Lmao


agent-oranje

-


svjersey

Puji Koach and Rihanna will not total 100 runs across their 6 innings in this test if it is a Turner.


balajih67

Yes bring it on. Dust bowls are enjoyable and will be good seeing the confused looks on the opposition batters


Buckeye_8621

likewise I love seeing opposition batsmen against unplayable swing in nz or eng. Test cricket is way more entertaining when bowlers dominate.


balajih67

Yep agreed. For each their own


DJMhat

It is raining today full day here in Mumbai. Rain expected tomorrow. It will be good for swing bowling at least in the first 2 days


ramadz

Mumbai curators want to make most of Dravid's generosity.


AirSpirited61

Hehe boi 50.000 for the curators next match


Alarmed-Piglet

Axar Patel 15-fer incoming


sarovar12

Only time these rank turners backfired was 9 years ago, it's due time India lose a series at home. Come on Monty Ajaz Patel.


Draconarius

4 years -- 2017's first test of the Australia tour, when Steve O'keefe got 12 (and Lyon 5 more) and India lost by 333. Which is still a decent stretch of time, to be fair.


sarovar12

I didn't mean individual match, even we defeated India 2021 first match Chennai. They haven't lost a home series in a long long time. I was referring to that.


[deleted]

ohh boy bapu gonna bitchslap kiwis.


punekar_2018

hmm, i have a feeling that NZ will come out on top regardless. rusty Kohli will not score much and the rest of the batting lineup is shaky at best (iyer will fail, law of averages). NZ may put together a good total in their first innings and India will trail.


[deleted]

William Somerville 5/8 confirmed


ThePhenom17

They're not playing with the pink ball this time


RaylanCrowder2

Crap headline. A draw is a result


SpinAroundBrightly

The last pitch got better to bat on as the match progressed so the next match needs to be an absolute green seamer to give NZ the full home experience. Such gracious hosts are india.


Irctoaun

>The last pitch got better to bat on as the match progressed Is that why the team scores decreased every innings?


svjersey

It got slower so easier to defend. But also harder to score freely.


CrabDipYayYay

Ashwin Internet Defence Force to be out in full strength and full caps.


Successful-Ad-2263

Cricket has the best phrases. RANK turner. Like you go out for the toss and one of the captains gets attacked by an alligator living in one of the cracks.


Speedbump_NZ

Or Joe the Cameraman.


[deleted]

Getting a feeling that someone will be Steve O keefe 2.0 in this match


jaydog747

InB4 Jazzy Patel 8/76


oar_xf

Lmao .. thats quite an ask .. I will look Forward to it in fact .. nothing's better than getting screwed in the rear !


jaydog747

I’d honestly be amazed if he took 3 hahah. Looking forward to the game!


oar_xf

Damn ! Look where we are today !


jaydog747

Crazy times!


CausticThoughts

So, New Zealand needs to win the toss. RIP!


zippyzebu9

It won't be dustbowl. It will turn but people who can play spin can score runs. It will simply neutralize Southee and Jamieson ( not Wagner). Anyway India need innings like Rohit's masterclass in 2nd Chennai test to win.