India top in world test ranking

[eugene]

I realise that Laxman, Dravid, and Yuvraj are out. A good test of a team's ability is how much depth they have. I think once Tendulkar, Laxman, and Dravid retire India will struggle.

In answer to your question I am originally from New Zealand.

[jamthala]

In team india test team no one get easliy debut.
Saha make a surprise debut.kaif is better batsman.
We miss kumble also who is one of greatest of all time spinner.

[cricket_22001]

In team india test team no one get easliy debut.
Saha make a surprise debut.kaif is better batsman.
We miss kumble also who is one of greatest of all time spinner.

Jamthala,
India better be careful cause if Dravid, Tendulkar,Laxman & maybe Zaheer Khan retire quickly together (after 2011 World Cup perhaps) then all those players who haven't got any easy debut will be forced to step up. Look what's happened to Australia. And Yuvraj & Kaif haven't dominated the world scene.
BTW, retirements & injuries are part of the game. Don't excuse India cause Dravid, Laxman & Yuvraj are out. Eugene is right when he says it is now a test of depth. And India have just failed the first test. The 3 missing wouldn't have stopped SA compiling 558 runs if they played! That was India's best bowling unit.
No other country is saying " Australia isn't as strong as 5 years ago so beating them now doesn't mean as much". India haven't said it, Sth Africa & England haven't said it. India have earnt #1 position but have failed at their first hurdle to protect it & on their own soil!. Their character is now tested.
It will be interesting to see how Mr Gambhir performs in the 2nd test. Note that 80% of his career has been played on the sub-continent. Never toured Australia,England,Sth Africa & the West Indies. But he stumbled against world class pace bowling this test (on the sub continent!). Best of luck to him next test.

[CrimsonAvenger]

I don't always get into discussions involving Indian cricket too much, but for once, here we go:

It is obvious that the balance needed for a number 1 team looks absent in the Indian team, and some selection blunders compounded that for this test. But there have been signs of these from long.

Bowling

Indian bowling options, especially in tests, are a joke. Whether you like it or not, they don't have the ability to pick 20 wickets consistantly, and we have the audacity of claiming that the opposition isn't qualified enough to pick 20 wickets (Sehwag's comment against Bangla, a case in point). Quality spin blowling has almost become extinct. Anil Kumble had the ability to dictate terms from day 1 of a test in India, irrespective of the kind of wicket. All the home success and the fortress of the last frontier, to a large extent, must be attributed to Kumble's success.

Harbhajan Singh hasn't won a series for India in ages, Zaheer Khan is hot and cold, Ishant Sharma is still piggybacking on his successes against Ricky Ponting. Other spin options (Ojha, Mishra, Chawla) are nowhere in picture, as far as international class is concerned. Backup fast bowlers: Munaf Patel, Irfan Pathan, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra look like spent force and the less said about Sreesanth, the better. But, someone like Vinay Kumar, who has been the second highest wicket taker in domestic circuit for 3 seasons running, doesn't even get a look in. Another new face, Abhimanyu Mithun, touted as one with raw pace, gets dropped without even getting a chance at the highest level.

Batting

Batting is still in safe hands, I would say, and Gambhir is a hardworking cricketer who would prove himself stand India in good stead in years to come. Sehwag is Sehwag, unquestionable . On retirement of Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, there may not be equally glorious replacements, but there are young guns oozing a lot of promise for a few seasons now, the likes of:

Subramaniam Badrinath, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Murali Vijay, Manish Pandey, Mohammed Kaif, Parthiv Patel are some of these faces who would fight it out among themselves for clinching these positions. As long as the hype of unproven players for longer version, like Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma don't influence the selections, we should be looking at a bright future with the bat. But that is a big question mark in itself.

But the biggest worry, as Laxman recently said, is the lack of world class spin bowling options.

[zimfan1]

The thing about India is that outside Asia they do not have the bowlers who can expolit the conditions and the batsman still arragantly play the same way as if they were playing in the sub continant (Execptions being Dravid and Sachin)

But as Crimson Avenger pointed out the real problem for Indian cricket is in the spin department. At the moment they are big shouts for Harbhajan Singh to be dropped, but if he is who will replace him. In the last year i have seen Ojha and Mishra have a run out and the just are not good enough at this level. The only real option apart for Harbhajan is to go back to Murli Kartik a bowler who i like very much and who i belive is very underatted.

However saying all this, it will only take the BBCI to create a massive turner and Harbhajan and co will be made to look like world beaters and India will be once again be hailed as the best side in the world.

Crickets a funny old game.............

[CrimsonAvenger]

However saying all this, it will only take the BBCI to create a massive turner and Harbhajan and co will be made to look like world beaters and India will be once again be hailed as the best side in the world.

If they go for a rank turner, I see more trouble this time around for India. If they happen to lose the toss and bat second, I can't imagine what might happen with Steyn and Morkel breathing fire on a potentially two-paced pitch.

We saw how helpless an in form and in the zone Dravid was in Bangladesh when he was hit on the pitch that was behaving oddly. If that was the case there, what about the other mere mortals against these two top bowlers of the world?

[jamthala]

Hey don't put so much question on india strength.we become no 1 due to our batting order.
Lets ist talk about batting
now laxman is back in team.
Saha make a surprise debut.
Now talking about bowling.
In kolkata the pace pair is like zaheer and sreesanth.
Spinner will be bhajji and ojha.
Harbhajan not in form,he is our frontline spinner.so question of his axe is down.
2nd test should be a tight one,india will now put a tough challenge against proteas.

[jamthala]

Our team is world champion.now whole world know again.proteas defeated by indian.lot of parties going on now.

[ZIMDOGGY]

india have the best batting lineup.

but in their bowling they are behind aus, SAF, lanka and are even with NZ and england.

i still think aus are the best but by a whisker....SA would be best if not for affiemative action.

Imagine pietersen coming in at 6.

[jamthala]

People we are no.1 in test ranking.believe it,if there is doubt than raise i will answer that