2nd Test: India v England at Visakhapatnam

It looks like England will need to bat out four and a half sessions to eek out an unlikely draw. They are really going to need something big from both Cook and Root.

Duckett's technique against spin  ::dead:: ::dead:: Oof. There is no way he can be successful at the Test level with that type of technique. No chance. Going forward, even if you were to replace him, the only other available bat is Jos Buttler - who has played just one red ball match over the last year. Not ideal. Though I do think adding an extra right handed bat to the middle order is needed.

This was the first time I have seen Jayant bowl. What a beautiful action.

Also a thing of beauty was Jimmy's delivery to dismiss Pujara. ::love::

Trent Boult ball to Sarfraz took the off ...and left the bails on middle and leg

Unbelieveable swing bowling by these chaps !

Dilly

I believe you were a great advocate for Duckett and I certainly was not for his technique.

He is very Hughes like and stepping away, making room but that could be corrected.

Making a debut in the subcontinent is a tough ask, especially when one's technique is not tight and you are of little patience.

I would stick with him as he ahs potential although I would have preferred him on A Tours first.

Not sure why I cannot view your video.

I believe it was Athers who mentioned on commentary that Test cricket exposes a players weakness in short order. No doubt, making your debut in the subcontinent will exacerbate any deficiencies against spin! Perhaps he can have a long sit down with Ben Stokes who has shown considerable improvement against spin.

Duckett has two things in his favour: His attack minded nature helps to balance out the steadiness at the top with Cook and Hameed, and England have shown a willingness in recent years to give a player a decent run in the side before cutting bait.

I do think it is asking a lot to expect him to tinker with his technique mid-series. But he is going to have to find a way to get his head moving toward the ball. As it is, his natural instinct is to move his front foot outside leg stump while keeping his head over his back foot. His bat is nowhere near his pad, its not in a straight line and he ends up throwing his bat forward while exposing all three stumps.

As such, England have somewhat of a tough decision to make. Do they place a greater importance on giving Duckett the experience in the hopes he can develop and improve or on winning the series? If they believe that Duckett is the answer at number four, then I think it is only fair to stick with him.

I am not sure I subscribe to this emphasis on over aggression in test Cricket but I recognise the need to have a mixture of tempo.

A flawed technique has to be addressed and no best time when facing an attack that exposes failings and you are in the midst of battle where a success can spur you on.

It is quite simple, he need to hold his line and not make so much room and understand getting to the pitch enables him to work the ball.

Once that is done he will become more fluent.

Halo found himself in the same predicament and lost his game completely.

Test Cricket is just that, a test, and you have to set your stall out for the long haul.

I am no Duckett fan, like you, but he got to this stage on merit so he should be afforded a run.

Learning on the job is part of the process and Dockett himself, at the PCA, outline his 'poor' technique.

You will recall when Phil Hughes came to Middlesex he rolled off  a few consecutive centuries in rapid time and was called into the test squad scored some runs and then found out.

Sadly his premature death came  at a time when he was due to be recalled to the Test team.

I would think Halo has now lost his spot to Hameed.

England vs India just got intense.

Only criticism of England is openers perhaps tad too defensive. Had 35-40 runs more been scored, India would have been feeling pressure too

Heartbreaking for England to lose Cook at the end. If they could have gone into tomorrows play with only 1 down, all three results were possibly in play. I don't have enough superlatives for Hameed. Just brilliant from someone so young. So unfortunate that he got an unplayable pea-roller. 

There has been a big shift in run rate at the Test level over the last 40+ years. Teams are scoring 16% faster in the 2010s than they did in the 1970s.


Click image to enlarge

Digging a little deeper inside the numbers reveals that there is a correlation between teams that score quickly and teams that win as evidenced by the runs per over rates by winning sides.


Click image to enlarge

And runs per over by losing teams.


Click image to enlarge