England v India First Test Trent Bridge

The 5 test series cramped into a 42 day schedule gets underway at Trent Bridge tomorrow. The 2 middling sides have a lot to prove. Hopefully we'll get to have some exciting cricket.

The match preview from cricinofo thinks England will have Ben Stokes back in, replacing Chris Jordan. Matt Prior is facing some fitness concerns, and Jos Buttler is called in as cover, but England skipper Alastair Cook, who didn't think Buttler was ready for test cricket a month ago, hinted that Prior is more than likely to play.

India on the other hand, are giving vibes that they might consider going in with 5 bowlers with the military medium parttimer Stuart Binny likely to make his test debut and make it to the side ahead of Rohit Sharma. Ravindra Jadeja is the likely spinner. So in all likelihood, it will be a 6, 7 and 8 of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Stuart Binny.

Five Tests?!!! Gonna be a long summer. Should be a good series, and I think your fearless young batsmen are going to acquit themselves well... Even Rohit. Will be interesting to see how you're bowlers do, I still have memories of them only taking 7 wickets at nearly three an over on a cracked Wanderers pitch... The The Duke offers more movement early on, but it stops moving earlier than the 'Burra. I'm still going with a 3-1, England... but that's only because I don't know how you're bowlers are going to take twenty wickets enough to win matches.

That's exactly the problem, kingraf. In SA we at least had Zaheer. Though not at his peak, Zak still was a force to reckon with. Mohammed Shami can be a good bowler in years to come. Bhuvneshwar Kumar should enjoy conditions in England. But Ishant Sharma is hopeless, Ishwar Pandey and Pankaj Singh haven't played any test cricket, and Varun Aaron who's test experience is very little, has decent pace but not a lot otherwise in terms of swing and for that matter seam movement. Stuart Binny is a parttimer in the Ravi Bopara/Angelo Mathews/JP Duminy mode, not that much parttime, a bit better than that, say a regular parttimer....... So I don't know where the 20 wickets are going to come from.

The batting has class in Pujara, Kohli and Rahane. But Mahendra Singh Dhoni at 6? Not too sure of that. Would have preferred Ravichandran Ashwin coming in at 6, Dhoni at 7 and then 4 proper seamers rather than MSD at 6, Jadeja/Binny at 7 and 8 as it appears is the decided direction. I think Jadeja is a slightly better spin option in overseas conditions, but Ashwin is a better bat, and with 4 seamers to cover for different situations, he could have experimented a bit and look for wickets. Rate him better with the bat than the other 2 all-rounders, Jadeja and Binny.

msp83 wrote:The batting has class in Pujara, Kohli and Rahane. But Mahendra Singh Dhoni at 6? Not too sure of that. Would have preferred Ravichandran Ashwin coming in at 6, Dhoni at 7 and then 4 proper seamers rather than MSD at 6, Jadeja/Binny at 7 and 8 as it appears is the decided direction. I think Jadeja is a slightly better spin option in overseas conditions, but Ashwin is a better bat, and with 4 seamers to cover for different situations, he could have experimented a bit and look for wickets. Rate him better with the bat than the other 2 all-rounders, Jadeja and Binny.

msp-...in all those scenarios you forget that ashwin is a bowler who can bat a bit
and Binny is a proper batsman
just because his bowling his part-time.....he should not be deemed anything less than fulltime batsmanit's quite likely Binny might bat at 6.....
if they put Binny at No.7 he is still a proper batsman coming at No.7

and India's problem on surface appears bowling...but in reality it's the handling of bowlers by Dhoni.
another captain like Ganguly or Kumble might have gotten a lot more out of similar level of bowling...we saw that on 2002 and 2006 tours of Eng

Think Shami/Kumar could cause Cook issues this series, pitch up swing bowlers are all over him atm

Tbh I think the series will be 1-1, can see a couple draws, one rain affected draw and a win for either side

Cook needs to be careful with Anderson/Broad, they looked effed after headingley

Does Kumar swing it that much, though? Genuine question. Shami is more of a poor man's Asif, a really poor man's Asif, at the moment, anyway. I think this is the series Cook regains his mojo

kingraf wrote:Does Kumar swing it that much, though? Genuine question. Shami is more of a poor man's Asif, a really poor man's Asif, at the moment, anyway. I think this is the series Cook regains his mojo

Who would've thought Sri Lanka's seamers would've caused him issues like they did tho

I hope you're right, but I don't see it myself.

kingraf wrote:Does Kumar swing it that much, though? Genuine question. Shami is more of a poor man's Asif, a really poor man's Asif, at the moment, anyway. I think this is the series Cook regains his mojo

Kumar at his best is like Vernon philander
Sami is Peter siddle at his(Siddle's) best

Unlike Siddle, Shami can reverse the ball to devastating effect when the conditions suits reverse. He doesn't swing it much though, in the conventional way. With the newish ball, he's more about seam movement and a bit of extra pace compared to the other Indian bowlers. Bhuvneshwar is a milder version of Praveen Kumar. Bhuvi has just a little bit more pace, but I don't think he swings it as much as PK does, and doesn't yet have the street-smartness that his Uttar Pradesh senior has in plenty.

msp83 wrote:Unlike Siddle, Shami can reverse the ball to devastating effect when the conditions suits reverse. He doesn't swing it much though, in the conventional way. With the newish ball, he's more about seam movement and a bit of extra pace compared to the other Indian bowlers. Bhuvneshwar is a milder version of Praveen Kumar. Bhuvi has just a little bit more pace, but I don't think he swings it as much as PK does, and doesn't yet have the street-smartness that his Uttar Pradesh senior has in plenty.

i think B. Kumar is better than P.Kumar.....because he swings at more pace and is more mercurial i.e does get the ball to do more

i think he will come through well as will sami
and Ishant has been in good form in the last two series......I want to believe Ishant has turned the corner
and a few hours before the start, I would like to belive this is a very competent bowling attack we have

Ishant has let us down far too often, so much so that even if he takes 6 wickets in an over, I would be expecting a rubbish 10 game streak right after that.......

msp83 wrote:Ishant has let us down far too often, so much so that even if he takes 6 wickets in an over, I would be expecting a rubbish 10 game streak  right after that.......

he has had 6 good games in a row.....be positive msp ...because there is no other alternative  

There are alternatives but they all lack experience. Without Zaheer, we have to carry Ishant at least for now, and then hope and pray.

msp83 wrote:There are alternatives but they all lack experience. Without Zaheer, we have to carry Ishant at least for now, and then hope and pray.

there is no alternative unless Dhoni is fired..... or convicted by Justice Mudgal

I read pre-match reports on guardian and telegraph....using dhoni's quotes from the pre-match conference.

it's almost certain that Binny will play...won't bat at No.6 but rather at No.7 or 8

and Dhoni will come in at No. 6 though I see Binny technically more competent to be at No.6

whihc means the team is a given.
Hope India bats first if they win the toss

Batting day, expect whoever wins to put themselves in.

Just scoured the internet to find some idiotic comments from Indian fans, and now I'm all set!

Gorgeous, beautiful, darling James Anderson to tear India apart on a ground he cherishes the most, while sweet, wholesome, charming Alastair Cook rediscovers his touch against a ragged Indian bowling attack in a rather picturesque, English scene with the exquisite Nottingham the setting for that most dearest of this island's fair sports.

10.15 am First news of the day: Stuart Binny has got his Test cap from Dhoni.. That means India are playing five bowlers.

i'd go:

1. Cook
2. Robson
3. Ballance
4. Bell
5. Root
6. Ali
7. Prior
8. Stokes
9. Broad
10. Anderson
11. Plunkett

Stokes in for Jordan, otherwise same as Headingly I think.

and Ind win the toss and bat first

so India somehow have to see through the first 4 days to leave Eng about 250+ on last day......and then Jadeja will wreak havoc and win it.....T1 in the pocket   

All out by lunch. Anderson 5fer.

Very interesting montage of the england top order constantly getting out to balls pitched up. If that's not a blue print for success for these indian bowlers i don't know what is.

Vijay cracks 3 smashing cover driven glorious fours in the first over   

KP_fan wrote:Vijay cracks 3 smashing cover driven glorious fours in the first over   

Not quite. One was an edge of the underside of his bat which he was trying to avoid!

liverbnz wrote:

KP_fan wrote:Vijay cracks 3 smashing cover driven glorious fours in the first over   

Not quite. One was an edge of the underside of his bat which he was trying to avoid!

doesn't matter....cover drives wouldn't have yielded any more

pitch is moderate pace, no seam movement, moderate bounce and little swing in the air

I can well understand Stokes' selection. In particular, what he did in Australia plus he's one of those cricketers who seems to actually merit the tag "makes something happen".

However, I still feel Jordan is the better bowler and that the role of fourth seamer will be significant to how England do in this Test. I accept Stokes is likely to get more runs than Jordan although that shouldn't be the main consideration with him likely to bat here at 7 or 8. In Australia, Stokes was normally at 6 which probably meant there was less responsibility and pressure on him with the ball.

The above certainly doesn't mean the selectors have made a howler but - on difficult balance - it's not the call I would have made.

and outfield fast too....India going at 6RPO and we are looking aat 540 runs in the day

no pace in the wicket again. Common thing now in England. Wish we produced more pitches with a bit of zip to them

and Vijay creams two more cracking cover drives right from the middle of bat for FOUR...he is taking anderson apart here

Fill your boots day, nothing much happening.

Yes James!

Clubman Anderson strikes removes Dhawan

Celebrating like he'd won the World Cup did the clubman. Shameful.

and dhawan goes like he does most times.....fails to leave one that he should have....expected from him early in the series

as the series progresses we will see his concentration improve and he will leave more of these deliveries

Bonus for England, but India have talent to bat the day out on this pitch.

Pujara time... Best batsman in the game for me - time to witness greatness

Really the only question is whether Pujara wants to retire on 200 or 300

kingraf wrote:Pujara time... Best batsman in the game for me - time to witness greatness

You feeling ok?

GSC wrote:Really the only question is whether Pujara wants to retire on 200 or 300

Trying to take over from trebs?

pitch will offer reverse soon

India crusing, England in dire straights

Vijay begining to free his arm...he could take apart bowling from here or fall being too adventourous

first hour...even efforts
eng pluck one wicket and has not allowed Indian bastmen to look easy...runs have come generally behind square from thick edges

India really ought to make plenty here. Nothing on offer for the bowlers.
English pitches ain't what they used to be...

KP_fan wrote:pitch will offer reverse soon

England will hope so . The lack of pace and carry is a disappointment ; not just for England , but for interesting cricket. High eighties deliveries dying before the keeper...