A few silver-ish linings in the dark clouds of Bangalore . .

[Maranello]

In a bid to lessen some of the doom and gloom amongst Indian supporters following the rather tame defeat in the first Test, I have jotted down my top-three positives that India can take towards the Madras encounter - they probably need to build on these three in order to wrest back the momentum.

(IND are 185-8, so unless a Calcutta type miracle comes about, the following should hold...otherwise, I would be only too happy to gobble my words!)

1. Harbhajan - he seems to be getting back to his consistent best form, and should be instrumental if India are to repeat 2001 . . .
2. Patel - looks like a pre-schooler, but defends his wicket like a battle-hardened old pro... still needs to work on the scowl though!
3. Pathan - the one that gives me the most pleasure to write down. This guy really can play- he has stuck around for the second-highest no. of balls-faced in each innings, which reflects well on him and rather poorly on the top six batters. On top of all the talent with bat & ball, his effervescent attitude on the field is a big plus for the team. By no means the finished article, the Emerging Player of the Year is probably the best thing to come out of India for a wee while.

Would the Indian fans around agree on these being the three main (or even the only 3) positives?

[Occasional Fan]

Certainly agree on Harbhajan. Eleven wickets and 42 runs in the second innings is not so shabby. There's a way to go in this series still.

[SSA.]

Originally Posted by Maranello

Would the Indian fans around agree on these being the three main (or even the only 3) positives?

Agree with what you say Maranello. I'll just add one more thing... Dravid is not out of Form.

[Nikhil]

Sachin Tendulkar may miss the entire series. The article is here

One thing really confounds me, and that is why are there so many opinions about Sachin's injury. No one is saying when is he likely to be back for sure. Everyone is guessing and speculating. The Indian team physio has been asked to keep quiet. Ganguly can go around blabbering though. What on earth is this? Ganguly should keep quiet as well. They have consulted some specialist and he's going around talking to newspapers and journalists in private.

[Shaka]

India's strength has always been it's batting, but when you lose Tendulkar or Dravid, the rest don't seem quite so formidable. I know this isn't focussing on the silver lining so much, but it pretty much reflects on India's attitude in the recent test match. Not many Indian batsmen seem able to take up responsibility in Tendulkar's absence.

The plusses for me would be that India can quite often start badly as they did in Pakistan and England (in the recent ODI series) then finish on top. In the absence of Tendulkar as a batsman I would call up Kaif, and similarly if Balaji is out I would go for Ashish Nehra. These are guys who have won matches before in difficult circumstances.

[Nikhil]

Certainly a come back can not be ruled out. India are admittedly good at that. It only takes one magical wicket or inning or catch to rub the effect on the entire team. India has a few players who can do that.

Ganguly has some really tough decisions to make now. Kaif should play, perhaps only because Yuvraj is not in form and Kaif looked in good touch. I'm not a big fan of Kaif as well, but I think he deserves a chance.

The most important thing is how well India bat without Sachin in their ranks. If they can put a good score on the board in the first inning of the second test, then things can change real fast. Inning-one, test-two is going to be real important.

[Shaka]

I said in the other thread that the likes of Ganguly and Laxman need to stand up and be counted. I still think that Yuvraj should stay in the team, he looks like a fighter. Chopra who you seem to rate did nothing in Pakistan and he did nothing in the last test. I'd consider dropping him for Kaif and promoting Ganguly to opener.

[Maranello]

I agree about Ganguly, Sehwag, Laxman and the rest needing to deliver - reputations are all very well but hard work needs to be put in every day...! It is shocking that with India's top 6, the guy who scored the most runs in the Bangalore Test was Pathan! (he also faced the most balls over the two innings - a sad indictment on the top order!).

I disagree about Chopra, the Indian middle order has historically worked best when given a good start, as in Pakistan and Australia, and from the current lot, Chopra is the best bet for that. Yuvraj as a Test opener? hmmm.. What next? Pakistan sending in Razzaq and Malik to open in Perth? Yuvraj would do fine as an opener, if he was given the following guarantees:
- he will bat only on a flat track
- the ball will not jag around too much so he doesn't go fishing (so it needs to be a bright day with no moisture in the air etc)
- the bowling should preferably consist of a carbohydrate-rich diet of gentle medium pace

India need to stick to what has worked well in the recent past, and that is Chopra... on current form, I'd probably go for Kaif to come in at 6 instead of Yuvraj, if Sachin is still unfit.

[Shaka]

Originally Posted by Maranello

Yuvraj as a Test opener? hmmm.. What next? Pakistan sending in Razzaq and Malik to open in Perth? Yuvraj would do fine as an opener, if he was given the following guarantees:
- he will bat only on a flat track
- the ball will not jag around too much so he doesn't go fishing (so it needs to be a bright day with no moisture in the air etc)
- the bowling should preferably consist of a carbohydrate-rich diet of gentle medium pace

I think you mis-read my post, I actually suggested Ganguly be promoted to opener. About Chopra you and Nikhil may be right, I haven't seen much of him I only saw him in Pakistan where he failed, whereas I have seen a lot of Yuvraj and he's a player I like - whether he can adapt his ODI success to test cricket is a valid concern though.

[Maranello]

Apologies, yes I had misread.

Ganguly as opener, well I'd prefer him to Yuvraj, and that's an interesting idea. But then the middle order would read Laxman, Yuvraj, Kaif - three touch players who rely on timing and instintive ability, two of whom are running through a bad patch... could be a bit light-weight!

Let's see what the selectors come up with...